[SACD-R][OF] Chopin: Piano Sonata 2, Ballade, Valse, Fantaisie; Rachmaninov / Рахманинов: Piano Concerto 4 (Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, The Philharmonia Orchestra) - 2014 (Orchestral, Piano)

Analogue recording Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli was a legend in his own lifetime – renowned for his beautifully polished sound, clarity of execution, strict fidelity to the composer & awareness of harmonic subtleties. Everything was planned to the highest degree of musical & technical perfection. This is the 3rd volume in Praga’s series of Michelangeli recordings remastered for SACD, the great pianist is heard in solo works.
This 3rd volume of the “Reminiscences” series from the label Praga Digitals is devoted to the Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli & unites a Chopin recital that includes the Sonata #2, the Ballade #1, the Waltz #17, as well as the Fantasy Op.49, along with the Concerto for Piano #4 in G minor Op.40 by Serge Rachmaninov with the London Philharmonia that Ettore Gracis conducts. This ultimate concerto, states André Lischke, “reflecting the 1st influence of 20th century Western music on the composer, has remained the least popular of the series because of a certain disparity of ideas & intermittent inspiration of which the 2 earlier concertos did not suffer.” Arturo Bennedetti Michelangeli’s pianistic perfection here is a wonder, providing nothing less than an absolute reference. Music lovers take note.
SA-CD.net:
Review by JJ September 27, 2014 (1 of 2 found this review helpful)
Performance: Sonics:
This third volume of the “Reminiscences” series from the label Praga Digitals is devoted to the Italian pianist Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli and unites a Chopin recital that includes the Sonata N°2, the Ballade N°1, the Waltz N°17, as well as the Fantasy Op.49, along with the Concerto for Piano N°4 in G minor Op.40 by Serge Rachmaninov with the London Philharmonia that Ettore Gracis conducts. This ultimate concerto, states André Lischke, “reflecting the first influence of 20th century Western music on the composer, has remained the least popular of the series because of a certain disparity of ideas and intermittent inspiration of which the two earlier concertos did not suffer.” Arturo Bennedetti Michelangeli’s pianistic perfection here is a wonder, providing nothing less than an absolute reference. Music lovers take note.

Jean-Jacques Millo
Translation Lawrence Schulman