Most helpful customer reviews
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Truly Magnificent!, Jul 18 2004
I just got this CD and with some trepidations sat back and listened intently from start to finish. WOW!! I was hoping that the negative reviews about mechanical and robotic playing would not be too accurate. Well those reviews were utterly absurd, these are MAGNIFICENT recordings! To paraphrase the liner notes, we can thank our lucky stars that we live in a time that technology can bring us this close to the great Rachmaninoff! From some of the reviews one could think this is some sort of computer generated music, robotic and lifeless. Nothing could be further from the truth. The humanity, soul and beauty of the playing leaps out at you. We owe Mr. Stahnke a debt of gratitude for this labor of love. This is art restoration of a high order, not technological interference. To fault this incredible "remastering" of the orginal rolls is like faulting the new digital transfers of old analog tape. It is not "interfering" with original recordings, it is restoration. Purist debates and Bose versus Stein arguments are meaningless when hearing Rachmaninoff play with this level of clarity and beauty of sound. Just like digital transfer of classic films or "cleaning" of masterpiece paintings, this is technology being used to increase our experience of the original intent, not to alter it. I have ordered the second one as well and will purchase every single issue of old piano roll masters that is restored like this. Don't hesitate, these are truly magnificent recordings that will not disappoint. Five stars without reservation!
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3.0 out of 5 stars
Missing much of the nuance compared to playback on an Ampico, Dec 13 2003
I thought this recording sounded pretty good, until I heard the earlier release "Rachmaninoff plays Rachmaninoff: Ampico Recordings" (Polygram Records, B0000041WS). The latter is a recording of the Ampico rolls as played on an actual Ampico-equipped piano (an Estonia 9' concert grand). The former (this item) was done by scanning these same rolls into a computer, then transforming the data into a form readable by a Boesendorfer equipped with an electronic reproducing piano system. One would think the two versions would sound identical after allowing for the difference between the sound of the two pianos (an Estonia would have more sustain and more pronounced overtones than a Boesendorfer), except that perhaps the Boesendorfer electronic player version might be a bit more precise. The fact is, however, that the two versions don't sound anything alike. For a good comparison of the two, I suggest "Flight of the Bumblebee." The recording on "Window in Time" sounds positively mechanical compared with the performance on the actual Ampico. Pedal effects, accents, and dynamic contrasts that are barely audible on the robotic "Window in Time" recording come into sharp relief on the Polygram recording, which sounds like an actual pianist playing. The same is true of the other pieces. They don't sound bad on "Window in Time" but listen to the other recording and you will see that much is missing here. I'm not sure if it's the piano or the recording, but if you want to hear what Rachmaninoff probably sounded like, I recommend the other recording over "Window in Time". I just can't believe that Rachmaninoff was this mechanical-sounding, and on the Polygram recording, he wasn't. The Polygram recording sounds like a recording of a great pianist. "Window in Time" sounds like a player piano in comparison.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderul achievement, Nov 13 2003
If you have any reservations about this disc because it was "contrived" through a mechanical medium, I can honestly say that you're missing out over a non-existant issue. Yes, I'm sure that the music would have had the barest extra hint of an extra sparkle to it if Rachmaninoff could have somehow been transported forward in time to play it in person (if he could survive the culture shock). You always lose something through a recording medium. However, all of the grace, elegance and mind-blowing technic of Rachmaninoff comes through in every note of this recording. The piano used here is a magnificent instrument, brilliantly miked and it's all transferred to disc in high-quality Telarc fashion. We can always wish for a touch more, but when the quality is this high we're really just being stingy. There really isn't anything modern technology would allow that could have been done to make this disc better. What this disc and it's follow-up companion achieve is astounding, and is not to be missed by ANY serious pianist or connoseur of piano music. I listen to the two Window in Time discs more than any others in my piano collection (with Pletnev's Scarlatti a close second), and I regularly use the first and second track on this first disc as demonstration tracks for my class-A amplifier. As good as the first disc is, though, I'd recommend for most that you consider picking up the second disc first, which is less "hit and miss" in terms of the quality of the actual pieces (in my opinion). And after all, we all know that Rachmaninoff really sparkles when he plays Chopin.
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