Dame Moura Lympany plays Rachmaninoff in recital

[@Abidification]

Outstanding performance from a master.

[@paulprocopolis]

Magnificent playing from the 77-year-old Dame Moura: full, rich tone and a natural fluency of execution (despite having had to rebuild her technique after an operation). Despite its limitations, this video footage is a rare gem as there seems to be very little of ML on film. There were some BBC telecasts in the 60s or thereabouts but goodness knows where they have gone. Thanks so much for this upload!

[@GarthAstrology]

What a find, Mark! Lympany opened the world of female pianists to me, and her Rachmaninoff preludes are still among my favorite performances. Her interpretations have so much sweep and subtlety, and she never lets them get too bloated or inflated. Thanks so much for this upload!

[@thomasdavidson4733]

I went to 2 of her recitals; 1 at the Purcell Rooms in London and the other at St George’s Brandon Hill in Bristol. Both were superb. Very varied programmes including Chopin, Brahms, Debussy and even Schoenberg! I met her after the Bristol recital and she autographed my CD covers. I asked her if she was going to re-record the Rachmaninov concertos and the Khachaturian concerto to which she replied she would love to but it was up to the recording companies; A shame they let her slip through their fingers!

[@vova47]

Marvelous playing! But Rachmaninoff's music is super marvelous.

[@vova47]

She is about 76-77 years old here if I'm not mistaken. Very powerful playing for any age.

[@betsypar]

Thank you so much, Mark! I have always loved her recordings, and it’s so great to see her on video. What a treat, such beautiful sound and inspiring artistry.

[@kojiattwood]

That's a pretty damn good Op. 23 #9.....at any age.

[@romahoffman4195]

Thank you very much! Wonderful!

[@rudilindner817]

She also makes the Khachaturian concerto sound as it were great music. A great artist of the previous generation

[@ThePianoFiles]

AND the composer liked her performance!

[@charlesedward5216]

Her wonderful recording of the Rach preludes opened my eyes and ears to him.

[@pianomaly9]

What incandescent, heartfelt warmth and insight of her own into SVR. Thanks for posting this real gem of a recital.

[@dacovaz]

Thanks Mark. Personally I find most of her tempi on the slow side. Technically she pulls it off but her musicianship, countermelodies are indisputable enoyable!

[@enriquesanchez2001]

Beautiful and marvelous - in every way! ♥Thank you for sharing!

[@thomasbarrett6845]

The softness and strength of her playing is otherworldly. Moura is quite simply an angel! ❤️ Thank you for posting this!

[@randysills4418]

Amazing, Mark! Thank you! ❤

[@janhoppezak9731]

when I was a young man, a boy, I heard Dame Moura Lympany for the first time, a pianoconcert of Rachmaninoff, and it made a good impact on me, I still remember it.! Impressive, and now a new memory.

[@alombredeslava2468]

Quelle finesse, quel sens des nuances, une formidable artiste! Wie kann man da von "bemüht" sprechen???

[@billtownsend937]

Cannot believe I’ve never heard of this interpreter. Thank you!

[@ThePianoFiles]

She was a legend in the UK and known elsewhere of course but perhaps not quite as consistently as others... a truly marvellous interpreter - so glad she's now on your radar!

[@NOSEhow2LIV]

Fascinating and unexpected! ML's rich tone is in evidence even with occasional distortion and the mostly measured tempi give a welcome breadth to the preludes. Her beautiful speech is good to hear too! She was my first Grieg concerto (on LP), coupled with my first Rach1. Also my first Khachaturian. She rescued the BBC' TV's series by standing in for a Rach1 when the booked pianist didn't turn up....where would that film have gone? I heard her several times in recital, always musical, full-toned with power and brilliance to match. In more recent years she was to be seen in the artit's room after Shura Cherkassky's London recitals, an obvious enthusiasm and affection between them. Thank you so much for sharing this.

[@JamesVaughan]

Spellbinding playing...in my opinion Dame Moura's playing only got better as she aged, her interpretations more mellow and her sound more beautiful. She was always one of Britain's best pianists, her playing wonderfully musical and technically impeccable. This video, despite its flaws, is a valuable testimony to her greatness.

[@maandahhan4900]

Hello Mark I read somewhere that dinu lipatti recorded the chopin c sharp minor nocturne, possibly with antonio janigro, is this true? And if it is where can i find it?

[@ThePianoFiles]

I wrote about this in my notes for APR's release of his recordings with Janigro in their set of his 1947-48 Columbia recordings - that is the one pressing from the set of which no copy has been located. If you don't have the APR set, I highly recommend it.

[@rudolfpianos]

A lesser-known great pianist still at the top of her powers showing Rachmaninoff in his multi-faceted musical pictures

[@wdhermann]

Wow. This concert Is very interesting

[@berlinzerberus]

Moura Lympany past her prime. It sounds all a bit 'bemüht'. But of course already she is 77 yo. Thanks for this!

[@ThePianoFiles]

At 77, anyone would be past their prime - but she sure doesn't sound lacking to my ears... as we've said, we all have different preferences. I'd be happy to play like this at any age.

[@berlinzerberus]

I don't agree! Horowitz, Rubinstein, Arrau, Serkin, Backhaus, Kempff, Michelangeli, Rachmaninoff, Busoni they all played beautifully and NOT past their prime.

[@ThePianoFiles]

@@berlinzerberus They played beautifully in their late years, most definitely, but this doesn't mean they were AT their prime ... you can play wonderfully and not be at your prime, which then by definition is past... And I still think Lympany plays incredibly here.

[@berlinzerberus]

The Prelude in B flat major sounds reduced in tempo and yet without any adequate power and brilliancy. The reason for this is playing past her prime IMO. Nevertheless Moura Lympany was a great pianist without any question.

[@Twentythousandlps]

Thanks to the wisdom and perception of berlinzerberus, we learn that people are past their prime at the age of 77.