Rachmaninoff: The Piano Concertos & Paganini Rhapsody Yuja Wang, Los Angeles Philharmonic & Gustavo Dudamel

• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943): Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18:
• 1 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: I. Moderato 11:01
• 2 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: II. Adagio sostenuto 11:04
• 3 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: III. Allegro scherzando 10:59
• Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 1 (1917 Final Version):
• 4 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 1 (1917 Final Version): I. Vivace - Moderato 12:30
• 5 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 1 (1917 Final Version): II. Andante 05:48
• 6 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 1 (1917 Final Version): III. Allegro vivace 07:35
• Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 40 (1941 3rd Version):
• 7 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 40 (1941 3rd Version): I. Allegro vivace 09:02
• 8 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 40 (1941 3rd Version): II. Largo 06:20
• 9 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Minor, Op. 40 (1941 3rd Version): III. Allegro vivace 08:56
• Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43:
• 10 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Introduction. Allegro vivace - Var. 1. Precedente 00:27
• 11 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Tema. L'istesso tempo 00:19
• 12 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 2. L'istesso tempo 00:19
• 13 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 3. L'istesso tempo 00:25
• 14 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 4. Più vivo 00:29
• 15 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 5. Tempo precedente 00:28
• 16 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 6. L'istesso tempo 01:09
• 17 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 7. Meno mosso, a tempo moderato 01:10
• 18 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 8. Tempo I 00:35
• 19 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 9. L'istesso tempo 00:33
• 20 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 10. L'istesso tempo 00:52
• 21 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 11. Moderato 01:26
• 22 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 12. Tempo di minuetto 01:28
• 23 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 13. Allegro 00:30
• 24 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 14. L'istesso tempo 00:45
• 25 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 15. Più vivo scherzando 01:10
• 26 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 16. Allegretto 01:41
• 27 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 17. Allegretto 01:42
• 28 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 18. Andante cantabile 02:46
• 29 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 19. A tempo vivace 00:32
• 30 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 20. Un poco più vivo 00:36
• 31 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 21. Un poco più vivo 00:25
• 32 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 22. Marziale. Un poco più vivo. Alla breve 01:42
• 33 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 23. L'istesso tempo 00:53
• 34 Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Var. 24. A tempo un poco meno mosso 01:17
• Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30:
• 35 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30: I. Allegro ma non tanto 16:23
• 36 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30: II. Intermezzo. Adagio 10:16
• 37 Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30: III. Finale. Alla breve 14:27
• Total Runtime 02:28:00

Info for Rachmaninoff: The Piano Concertos & Paganini Rhapsody

To mark the 150th birthday of Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943), Yuja Wang and the L. A. Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel, performed all four of the composer's piano concertos and his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini over two consecutive weekends. This ambitious project took place at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, the city where Rachmaninoff spent the last months of his life. Now Deutsche Grammophon releases the recording of these sold-out and critically acclaimed performances. "Wang played with extraordinary power, depth and brilliance. Dudamel sought enlightenment. The pianist and conductor have a long musical relationship, and it showed. What impressed most was the concentration. As soon as each performance began, everything else seemed to disappear." (Los Angeles Times) Rachmaninoff, himself an extraordinarily talented pianist, wrote a wide range of expressive, idiomatic music for his instrument, including these five large-scale works for piano and orchestra. They have been part of Yuja Wang's repertoire since the beginning of her career, and she continues to enrich their kaleidoscopic richness with new insights. She has collaborated with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra on several occasions, and these performances convey a strong sense of mutual respect and understanding. As Dudamel notes, "We connect as if we were playing chamber music."

“[Yuja] played with exceptional power, depth, and dazzle. As accompanist, Dudamel went in for illumination. The pianist and conductor have had a long musical relationship, and it showed. What seemed the most impressive was the focus. Once each performance started, all else seemed to fall away.” (Los Angeles Times)

“Yuja’s performance [of Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini] was a dazzler, all right, rattled off with fingers of fine stainless steel, thunder, and delicacy in detailed balance. … Yuja really ascended to another level from that point onward, turning on the technical brilliance to an almost unbelievable degree at the finish.” (San Francisco Classical) Voice

Yuja Wang, piano
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor

Recorded live at Walt Disney Concert Hall in February 2023

Yuja Wang
Critical superlatives and audience ovations have continuously followed Yuja Wang’s dazzling career. The Beijing-born pianist, celebrated for her charismatic artistry and captivating stage presence, is set to achieve new heights during the 2019-20 season, which features recitals, concert series, as well as season residencies and extensive tours with some of the world’s most venerated ensembles and conductors. Season highlights include Yuja’s year-long “Artist Spotlight” at the Barbican Centre, where she curates and performs in four distinct events: the first London performance of John Adams’ newest piano concerto (premiered by her in Spring 2019) titled “Must the Devil Have All the Good Tunes?” with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Maestro Gustavo Dudamel, which they take to Boston and New York City; recitals featuring cellist Gautier Capuçon and clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer; and she concludes the residency with a solo recital.

In autumn of 2019, she tours China with the Wiener Philharmoniker, presenting concerts in Macao, Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Wuhan. The beginning of 2020 sees Yuja and Gautier Capuçon reuniting for a recital tour featuring eleven dates presented in Europe’s premiere venues, including the Philharmonie de Paris and the Wiener Konzerthaus. She then embarks on an extensive solo recital tour, appearing in renowned concert halls throughout North America and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, Davies Symphony Hall, and the Het Concertgebouw, running from February to April.

Additionally, Ms. Wang will be the featured soloist with some of the leading orchestras of North America, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Andris Nelsons; the Toronto Symphony, conducted by Gustavo Gimeno; the San Francisco Symphony, led by Michael Tilson Thomas; and the Philadelphia Orchestra, under the musical direction of Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Yuja Wang was born into a musical family in Beijing. After childhood piano studies in China, she received advanced training in Canada and at Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute of Music under Gary Graffman. Her international breakthrough came in 2007 when she replaced Martha Argerich as soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Two years later, she signed an exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon and has since established her place among the world’s leading artists, with a succession of critically acclaimed performances and recordings.

Yuja was named Musical America’s Artist of the Year in 2017.

Booklet for Rachmaninoff: The Piano Concertos & Paganini Rhapsody