Rachmaninoff plays Chopin Sonata in B-flat minor, op. 35

Chopin: Sonata in B-flat minor, op. 35

Sergei Rachmaninoff, piano

I. Grave
II. Scherzo
III. Marche funèbre
IV. Finale - Presto

(rec. February 18, 1930)

[zoink]

fun fact; this recording was made the same day Pluto was discovered !

[astrasfo]

No other pianist in my recollection interprets the marche funebre as he does. The idea of an approaching group of mourners getting louder, then the trio, then loud again and fading into the distance. Astounding.

[Itemtotem]

It is astounding that we have recodings of Rachmaninoff, one of the greatest composers and pianists of all known history

[duck_fx]

17:24 literally the best interpretation of this mov, not rushed, make every phrase sounds logical and unique.

[pianosbloxworld]

Schumann said that this sonata was like a combination of Chopin’s four wildest children, and that he never really understood it.
Rachamaninoff babysat those children and gave them Red Bull.

[paulcummins]

This is the most original and daring interpretation I have ever heard of this sonata.

[thecozytrader]

Damn, that voicing on the 4th mov, perfect

[Scherzokinn]

One of the best versions of the finale

[IsaacW.]

It's absolutely insane that he was able to play the 4th movement at such inhuman speed while still having his musical ideas come across

[mcrettable]

i hear how much he likes chopin... what a joyful recording

[iitalianii]

I will never forget what I just heard in the third movement. absolutely heartbreaking

[christianvennemann]

0:00 I. Grave – Doppio movimento;
5:54 II. Scherzo;
11:12 III. Marche funèbre: Lento (possibly one of the most amazing, fiery Funeral Marches I've ever heard 🔥🔥);
17:24 IV. Finale: Presto (it should be illegal to have such incredibly crystal-clear voicings in this movement).

[林柏辰-mi]

The best rendition
Colorful and so many kind of sounds
No other one is better
Rach played seriously
A treasure record

[JohannnesBrahms]

The final movement, "Wind over the grave, " doesn't contain any individual notes. It is a miasma of sound currents created by inhumanly fast legato playing in undulating dynamic range that I defy any pianist past, present or future to duplicate.

[Pochinator]

Rachmaninov's interpretation of this sonata is absolutely second to none.

[macfrenco]

6:32 this specific sound i've never heard in this sonata in any other interpretation before, it just sounds so right, as if i've been hearing it wrong all my life.

[johannsebastianbach]

Genius! He manages to make repeating musical material sound completely different in the most meaningful ways, and his playing is extreemely colourful.
Rachmaninoff's interpretation of the funeral march is unique, unlike most pianists instead of just repeating the A theme after the trio the same way as it was, he plays the first bars very powerfully, and, well, the "standard" way of playing the recapitulation is still quite tragic, evoking the image of somebody waking up from the blissfulness of the trio to a cold harsh reality, but in Rachmaninoff's interpritation the recapitulation starts with distraught fiery anger, and, of course we realise that this cannot continue till the end, the anger just gradually fades, and, as expected it slowly dies down into emptiness (the chord at 17:01 is played with almost shocking hollowness) which is infinetelly more tragic than any other possible way of playing the piece, due to the fact that it gives a sence of inevetability, of futility.
In the Presto he manages to expose the hidden melodies in such a way that sometinmes they don't even sound like they are a part of the main octave runs, almost like they hover above an accompaniment.
Even though the interpritation is one of the best of all time it has a few extreemely tiny things I personally don't like, for instance the thing that I noticed the most: from 18:25 due to the extreemely fast playing it is hard to properly parse through the notes and analyse the music, even though the rest of the movment does not suffer from that too much. Other than a few over uses of rubato the rest of the sonata in this interpritation is jaw-dropping and fully showcases the genius of both Rachmaninoff and Chopin.

[AemiliaJacobus]

This is Chopin's most ominous piece. For most of his life he had an intimate knowledge of death due to chronic illness, and Rachmaninoff really communicates this.

[Milan_Smidt]

I've heard this piece all my life, and it never captured me until now. Rachmaninoff's insight into the proper structure and cadence of this piece is just astounding. I've listened to it three times today already. What an artist.

[MikeSulman]

Rachmaninoff's performance of this work is the best of all.