Rachmaninov Piano Conerto 2 - Recommended LP?

I will second Newbee's rec: "Sviatoslaw Richter's version on DG, ain't chopped liver, circa 1959 (again if you can find it).." It is marvelous. While I do have the other versions mentioned, I think it the one to beat, although Newbee's short list is excellent. I recently found this LP in mear mint condition, so do look for it!

Look for DG 138 076

-Kurt

Those mentioned are good for different reasons. Some people like their music played certain ways. Janis and Wild are faster, with Wild brilliant and Janis more fleet, and both colorful. Cliburn and Ashkenazy are slower (Ashkenazy may only seem that way because of the smooth performance - I didn't check the timing), with both still exciting, but more opulent (Cliburn) and liquid (Ashkenazy). The Richter is a mix of various tempos, sometimes stately, sometimes exciting, but it works. Good luck, happy listening.

All - Many thnks for your suggestions....Guess I'll start searching for them now!

While looking for the Richter version see if you can also find the Richter version of the Liszt concerti.

In my recent post "Multichannel discs, and Why" I cite this particular concerto at an example of one class of music that benefits from multichannel. If you have SACD capability, try PentaTone PTC 5186 114...Werner Haas, piano. (Actually, this is a hybrid disc so you could use it in a regular CD player pending purchase of SACD equipment).