Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No 5 - Denis Matsuev 1st mov part I

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Denis Matsuev performs the Russian Premiere of Rachmaninoff's piano concerto no 5 together with Vladimir Spivakov and the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia. This event took place in Moscow the 2nd February 2009. This Arrangement was made by Alexander Warenberg. -- You can buy the disc at

What if Rachmaninoff's most popular symphony were rewritten, as a piece for piano and orchestra? In the hands of a contemporary Russian composer, Rachmaninoff's second symphony has now become his Piano Concerto No. 5.

St. Paul, Minn. — In 2000, Dutch producer Pieter Van Winkel let his imagination run free while listening to one of his favorite works, Rachmaninoff's Symphony No. 2.

"Listening to the second symphony, I could never ignore the fact that somehow I imagined the sound of the piano," Van Winkel said. "Then I thought, what would happen if you actually make a concerto from this gorgeous piece of music?"

Van Winkel posed the idea to his former piano teacher, Russian composer Alexander Warenberg. At first, Warenberg was completely flabbergasted at the notion. After pondering the idea a little longer he decided it could be done.

The first step in developing this new concerto was to acquire permission from Rachmaninoff's estate. According to Van Winkel, gaining permission was easier than they anticipated.

"We actually went to the grandson of Rachmaninoff, Mr. Alexander Rachmaninoff, who lives in the beautiful villa on Lake Lucerne in Switzerland, where Rachmaninoff composed a lot of his works. We went there and proposed the idea, and he was very enthusiastic," said Van Winkel.

Warenberg finished the first draft of the solo piano part in just six months. He spent the next two years on the orchestration, working sometimes 22 hours a day.

"He changed a lot in this symphony because the original symphony has four movements, and he wanted to make it into a proper piano concerto which usually has three movements," Van Winkel explained. "He combined the second movement and the third movement and made them one movement, the adagio. So he actually combined the two."

Warenberg wrote the entire work in the style of Rachmaninoff. He says every note of his could be Rachmaninoff's. The modifications he made are designed to improve sound and balance.

With this composition, Warenberg is allowing pianists to get closer to one of the greatest symphonies ever written.

The pianist in this world premiere performance, Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy, says it's a great feeling to play the wonderful first theme of the second movement.

What's most important to Schmitt-Leonardy is the fact that there is now a new Romantic piano concerto that contains so much of Rachmaninoff's universe, combined with brilliant new inventions by a contemporary composer.

Schmitt-Leonardy also loves the idea that there's no traditional way to play this piece. Each performance can bring something novel to this work.

Wolfram Schmitt-Leonardy believes many composers are so busy being faithful to the text of a score they forget to love it. That's what makes this concerto such a treasure.

Alexander Warenberg used his heart as well as his head when he wrote it. By loving it, he remained faithful to it. What started as a pie-in-the-sky idea has resulted in what could be a valuable new addition to the Romantic piano repertoire.

[JureGorucan]

OMG how can this man sit that close to the piano. I'd break my arms.

[MrPizzazz]

personally speaking as a huge admirer of the E minor Symphony, i really feel the transcription DOES work, so long as you are prepared to listen to it on its own terms, therefore as a piano concerto. Kudos to Alexander Warenberg for creating such idiomatic Rachmaninovian textures- especially the clever links texturally and architecturally to the 3rd Piano concerto.

[mostrodav]

This piece was originally a simphony (2 in E minor sorry). I always think in the simphony like a masterpiece, but the work of Warenberg in the transcription is equally great. Probably he doesn´t give anything new, but i think it´s just like Rachmaninoff should do if he wanted a piano concerto. Many people don´t like the idea of a piano concerto with a pice wich originally wasn´t. I think that many composers incluiding Rach take pieces from others and make variations and other works.

[SergRach]

@L1ttl3Karl0s It's a transcription from Rachmaninoffs 2nd Symphony

[whatafreakinusername]

@mrjlowitz This is an arrangement. Rachmaninoff only wrote four concerti, and died long before this was first published. I have a feeling he wouldn't approve, but I guess the arranger did a good job.

[lucas]

Awesome! I didn´t know that this transcription exist. Symphony 2, the best than others. (FROM ARG)

[LttlKarls]

@1PianoJo1 its a transcription Warenberg did from Rachmaninovs' 1st Symphony if i'm not wrong

[Vampianist]

This transcription is magnificent! I can't help but listen to it nearly eveyday. My Itouch showed that within couple f months I have listened to the whole concerto about 1400 times. I've been looking for the piano score for a long time, does anyone have it?

[mostrodav]

This piece was originally a simphony (2 in c minor). I always think in the simphony like a masterpiece, but the work of Warenberg in the transcription is equally great. Probably he doesn´t give anything new, but i think it´s just like Rachmaninoff should do if he wanted a piano concerto. Many people don´t like the idea of a piano concerto with a pice wich originally wasn´t. I think that many composers incluiding Rach take pieces from others and make variations and other works.

[MPLUnisson]

Magnifique chaîne
Je me suis abonnée
M&P l'unisson

[ungava]

This is pretty traumatic. However, if you want to hear it very beautifully played, YouTube the Rotterdam performance of Warenberg's transcription. It is hard to imagine, after listening to this, just how gorgeous this music can really sound.

[cpanati]

Yes, you shouldn't convert someone else's symphony into a piano concerto; and yes it lacks any original imagination Rach himself would have brought to the piece; nonetheless, it's well-done; and since I'm a sucker for piano concertos, I bought the CD and have thoroughly enjoyed it. For me, there are now five Rach concertos. Lord, forgive me.

[LttlKarls]

@SergRach1 so i was wrong :D
but yh it was transcribed and it's like Rachmaninovs Concerto... funny isn't it?

[ElLocoyelLobo]

@cpanati Doing such an arrangement is just as valid as Bach's arrangements of other composers works, or similar types of arrangements by Liszt and many other fine composer-performers. You can judge each transcription on its individual merits, but there is no reason why they shouldn't be done.

[henrystockwell]

Rachmaninoff only wrote four piano concerti. This is his Symphony No. 2 with addition of a piano, which is out of place. I don’t think Rachmaninoff would approve.

[iLoveChopin]

thats pretty good. but why is he reading the score?

[valdistakada]

Почему все комменты на английском, у нас, что не интересно это????они больше интересуются нашими гениями, чем мы???не удивительно, что их правительство лучше.Каждый народ заслуживает то правительство, которое у него !

[jvdesuit]

I totally agree with you; if each time a musician takes a composer's work and makes a transcription one attributes it to the original composer, this I'll call treachery.Perhaps this transcription is well done, but sorry it has absolutely not the power of the symphony;if the composer has thought it worth making it a concerto he would not waited for M. Alexander Warenberg to do it in his place!

[mytchilla]

This seems to be some compilation and eclecticism of randomly chosen Rachmaninov's pianistic factures, but it is - of course - not enough to compare with his original works. I think it is senseless, and the Symphony is complete enough in it's original version.

In other words - this is kitsch, why would somebody have written /practiced/ listened to this? :D

[TomBarrister]

It's very clever and well-written, but the piano sounds more like Addinsell than anybody else, with Rachmaninoff idiosyncrasies thrown in here and there.

Also, there's no excuse, in my opinion, for the soloist to be reading the music; it should be learned.

I'm not berating the quality of the piano or orchestration, but it's a stretch to call it the maestro's 5th concerto.