Pierce's Rachmaninoff Rhapsody is one of the fastest performances I've ever heard. Normally, you would become suspicious of such a seemingly extreme timing, but in this case Pierce is fully convincing, delivering a Rachmaninoff that is by turns romantic and brilliant, demonic and urgent, but never radical or excessive. His playing of the dies irae theme is stately and deliciously serene, then appropriately becomes menacing and downright scary. But for the somewhat brusque and brisk 18 th variation, this account might rank at or near the top of the considerable heap. Still, it's a performance not to be dismissed.
Phoenix offers excellent notes and sound.
This CD contains a trio of worthwhile pieces that early 20 th -century fanciers will want to obtain. I had trouble tracking these two CDs on two of my players, though my better one negotiated them with no trouble. The problem was most probably due to a slight misalignment in the CD players, so if yours is properly aligned or new, you should have no difficulty. Use of text, images, layout, format, look, or feel of these pages, without the written permission of the copyright holder, except as specified in the Copyright Notice , is strictly prohibited. All Rights Reserved.