Best recording Rachmaninov Piano Concerto 4

Yes the Michelangeli/EMI (Great Recordings) is probably first choice, the CD remaster by EMI using ART technology is very good. The Ravel coupling may not be what most people want however.

The Wild/Chesky would make a good 2nd choice as well as offering Rach. piano 1 as a coupling.

The recording by Michelangeli with the Ravel and Rach 4; it is the Ravel Concerto that the Penguin guide is praising, not the Rachmaninov. It is worth getting for the Ravel for sure.

If you listen to the 78's of rachmaninoff playing on a victrola, you will understand. His lucid, liquid, free genius surrounds and penetrates. He really is one that doesn't transfer well to digital.

Unquestionably the `performance-wise it will be the performance from 1957 by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli with Philarmonia Orchestrea under Gracis. Michelangeli “owns” this peace and from my prospective no one before or after was not able to approach to what Michelangeli did with this work. The Rachmanonoff’s own performance of his IV concerto defiantly must be considered as well but I really do not see people who interested in Rachmanonoff and who did not started (and perhaps ended) with his own presentation.

The Michelangeli’s performance is widely available on LP and CD. Most of the issues are terminally destroyed by the barbarians who did re-mastering. As far as I remember the Tokyo’s EMI office did the most interesting (less damaging) transfer of this work to CD. In the analog world there are a great number of the pressings and all of them very different. Fortunate the “audiophile’s price hiters” did not listen serious music and they did not put this performance in their dummy “records to die for“ list. Because of this the re-sellers price the Michelangeli’s Rachmanonoff IV very inexpensive.

I do not have access to my records now and I can’t tell you witch pressing is better. Start to buy them and you will hit the best one. When you do then put this record in your will for your offsprings. I doubt that any other (future) paints will be able to go further then Michelangeli did

Rgs,
Romy the Cat