Revox Master Tape, ANDRÉ PREVIN - RACHMANINOV 2ND SYMPHONY

André Previn conducts the London Symphony Orchestra

André Previn writes:
The London Symphony Orchestra and I have been playing this symphony for a long time – and in many places. We have given performances throughout Europe, in the United States, the Far East, and in Russia, and no matter how different the local culture or history may be, Rachmaninov's passionate music reached every listener. One of the most unforgettable events of my musical life was to see members of the Moscow audience weeping openly and without shame during the performance.

In the past, I was guilty of making the so-called "official" cuts in this extensive work. In Leningrad, I learned that Rachmaninov himself actually only liked a small cut in the finale. After re-examining the score, I decided to restore every note – even that small cut that the composer himself had made. This undoubtedly makes the symphony long, but I believe that its honesty, its power, and its deeply felt lyricism can sustain it. I confess it freely and with great enthusiasm: I love this work, and the LSO loves it too, and we will be playing it for a long time to come.

Label: Warner

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