Concertgebouw Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Decca · 4557982 · 3 hours 50 minutes
Ashkenazy knows this music from the inside out, having lived with Rachmaninov’s piano writing his whole career, and that same lyrical instinct pours into his conducting here — the melodies breathe, the climaxes swell without ever tipping into excess. The Concertgebouw’s string sound is exactly what this repertoire needs, warm and dark and enveloping, especially in the Second Symphony’s famous slow movement. Four separate Building a Library endorsements over more than a decade tell you something too: this isn’t a recording that impresses once and fades, it’s one that keeps winning the argument.
Awards:
- Building a Library — October 2005 — First Choice
- Building a Library — December 2008 — First Choice
- Building a Library — January 2010 — First Choice
- Building a Library — March 2016 — First Choice
“Rachmaninov’s Second Symphony has become one of his most popular works; here Vladimir Ashkenazy leads the Concertgebouw Orchestra in gripping performances of all three, including the notorious…”
— Presto Music
James Ehnes (violin)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Seattle Chamber Music Octet, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Onyx · ONYX4060 · 57 minutes
There’s something almost unfair about how easily James Ehnes makes the Mendelssohn Concerto sound, like the technical hurdles that trip up lesser violinists simply don’t exist for him, leaving all the room in the world for songfulness and charm. Pair that with the Octet, where his Seattle friends throw themselves into the piece with the kind of infectious joy that reminds you sixteen-year-old Mendelssohn basically invented teenage genius, and you get an hour that never once feels heavy despite the pedigree behind it. Ashkenazy and the Philharmonia give the concerto a warm, unfussy backdrop that lets Ehnes do what he does best — sing.
Awards:
- Gramophone Magazine — February 2011 — Editor’s Choice
- Building A Library — October 2021 — Recommended Recording
“The Octet has rarely sounded more symphonic as Ehnes and his Seattle friends demonstrate all the energy and wit of chamber playing at its most dazzling. Ehnes gives an elegant, refined account…”
— Classic FM Magazine
Itzhak Perlman (violin), Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano)
Decca · 4214532 · 3 hours 58 minutes
What gets me about this cycle is how evenly matched Perlman and Ashkenazy sound, which is exactly the point Beethoven was making when he broke from the old “violin sonata as piano piece with accompaniment” model. You can hear two genuinely equal voices arguing, teasing, and consoling each other across all ten sonatas, from the youthful charm of the early works to the sheer scale of the Kreutzer. It’s the kind of partnership that can’t be manufactured in a studio for a single session — it comes from two musicians who’d clearly spent years learning how the other breathes.
Awards:
- Building a Library — December 2002 — First Choice
- Presto Greatest Recordings of the 1970s
- Grammy Awards — 21st Awards (1978) — Best Chamber Music Recording
“Although Beethoven designated these works as ‘for piano and violin’, following Mozart’s example, it’s unlikely that he thought of the piano as leading the proceedings, or the violin either,…”
— Gramophone Classical Music Guide
Nicolai Ghiaurov (bass), Zlatina Ghiaurov (piano), Borodin Quartet
London Symphony Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Georg Solti, Edward Downes, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Jean Martinon, Ernest Ansermet
Decca · 4556322 · 2 hours 30 minutes
Borodin gets typecast as the guy who wrote the Polovtsian Dances and not much else, which is a shame because his chamber writing especially has this gorgeous, unhurried lyricism that deserves way more attention. Having the actual Borodin Quartet on hand here feels almost too perfect, and Ghiaurov’s bass brings real gravity to the vocal selections without ever tipping into melodrama. Two and a half hours is a generous runtime, but it means you get the full sweep of his voice — sweeping orchestral color, intimate string writing, and everything in between.
Awards:
- Building a Library — November 2006 — Highly Recommended
Vladimir Ashkenazy
Decca · E4435792 · 56 minutes
There’s a real gulf between D664 and D784 — one is all sunlight and easy melody, the other is Schubert staring down something much darker, full of stark silences and sudden violence in the left hand. Ashkenazy doesn’t try to smooth that contrast over, which is exactly why the pairing works so well here; he lets the A minor sonata feel genuinely unsettled rather than just moody. It’s the kind of playing that trusts Schubert’s structure to do the emotional work, no exaggeration needed.
Awards:
- Penguin Guide — Rosette
Elisabeth Söderström (soprano), Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano)
Decca · 4762511 · 36 minutes
There’s something wonderfully unguarded about Söderström’s Russian singing — she never treats these songs as museum pieces, and you can hear her genuinely relishing the language even though it isn’t her native tongue. Ashkenazy, playing the repertoire of his homeland, brings an insider’s ear for color and pacing that turns what could be a simple accompanist role into a real partnership. Thirty-six minutes might sound slight, but Rachmaninov and his contemporaries pack an enormous emotional range into these miniatures, and this pairing catches every shade of it.
Awards:
- Gramophone Awards — 1979 — Winner – Solo Vocal
Lynn Harrell (cello), Vladimir Ashkenazy (piano)
Fitzwilliam Quartet
Decca · 4738072 · 2 hours 25 minutes
There’s something about Harrell’s tone that suits Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich equally well — big-hearted and dark-grained, never afraid to lean into the melancholy these sonatas thrive on. Ashkenazy isn’t just accompanying here either; his piano writing in the Rachmaninoff practically argues with the cello line, and that push and pull is what makes the performance feel so alive. Two and a half hours is a generous stretch of Russian soul-searching, but it never drags, and the Building a Library nod as Budget Choice tells you everything about the value packed into this set.
Awards:
- Building a Library — January 2007 — Budget Choice
Evgeny Kissin (piano)
Philharmonia Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
Warner Classics · 2645362 · 61 minutes
The Second Concerto is one of those pieces that seems built to punish pianists — that first movement cadenza alone is a monster, sprawling and dense enough to make you wonder if Prokofiev was actively trying to break hands. Kissin doesn’t just survive it, he finds the music underneath the difficulty, which is rarer than you’d think in this piece. Pair that with a Third Concerto that has all the wit and sparkle it needs, and you get an hour that never once feels like it’s coasting on reputation alone.
Awards:
- Grammy Awards — 51st Awards (2008) — Best Classical Instrumental Solo Recording
“When…Evgeny Kissin recorded his first Prokofiev concertos, he shied away from the insane challenges of the Second. Here… he surmounts these very much on his own terms… revealing the strong…”
— BBC Music Magazine
