Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3,Op. 30 / Suite No. 2 for two pianos ~ Argerich
If ever there was a high-voltage, wildly passionate performance of Rachmaninov's massive Concerto, this is it. Argerich plays with incredible virtuosity and a spontaneity that almost sounds as if she's improvising the keyboard part on the spot. The finale alone would make this a uniquely electrifying performance, but her quicksilver opening movement and soulful intermezzo are on the same extraordinary level. Amazingly, especially for a live performance, Chailly and his orchestra, instead of floundering to catch up, are with her 100 percent. In the Suite, Argerich is joined by longtime stage partner Nelson Freire in a 1982 studio recording made a few months before the Concerto. There's a plethora of excitement here as well, and if the waltz movement pushes close to the speed limit, the Andantino milks exquisite beauties from the work. This is one of those classic discs you'll never get tired of hearing.--Dan Davis