Yes. IMHO it's worth getting to know. It is really a bit different from his other music for solo piano. Reminds me a little of Liszt. I'd have to admit though that before I heard the 'original version' I didn't like it so much. OK, but so is a lot of other stuff too. :-)
Rachmaninoff's 1st Piano Sonata, original version - His Best?
I just finished listening to this Sonata by Lukas Geniusas playing the unedited and unpublished version of this sonata, which was, believe it or not, abandoned by Rachmaninoff and had remained unpublished and unperformed. There have been some edited versions that have gained a lot of appreciation (of which I have several) and I find this version and performance exceeds them all, and not by a small margin. Geniusas ranks this sonata along with the 3d PC as Rachmaninoff’s best.
And, FWIW, this sounds as close to a live performance as I have heard over my system. I think audiophiles would be pleased.
Start your new year with something great. :-)