Piano Sonata No.1, Op.28 (Rachmaninoff, Sergei) - A. Weissenberg

Title of the work: Piano Sonata No.1
Composer: Rachmaninoff, Sergei
Opus / Catalog Number: Op.28
I-catalog number: ISR 33
Key / tone: D minor
Movements / Sections 3 movements:
I. Allegro moderato
II. Slow
III. Allegro molto
Year / Date of Composition: 1907
First run: 1908-10-17 / 30 in Moscow
First published: 1908
Average duration: 36 minutes
Romantic period of Romantic composer
Romantic Style
Instrumentation piano
External links Wikipedia article
Alexis Weissenberg (July 26, 1929 -- January 8, 2012) was a Bulgarian born French pianist. Born into a Jewish family in Bulgaria, Sofia, Weissenberg began taking piano lessons at the age of three from Pancho Vladigerov, a Bulgarian composer. He gave his first public performance at the age of eight. In 1941, he and his mother tried to escape from German-occupied Bulgaria for Turkey, but they were caught and imprisoned in a makeshift concentration camp in Bulgaria for three months. One day, a German guard - who had enjoyed hearing Alexis play Schubert on the accordion - hurriedly took him and his mother to the train station, throwing the accordion to him through the window. The guard told them, "Good luck," in German; the next day, they safely arrived in Istanbul. In 1945, they emigrated to what was then Palestine, where he studied under Leo Kestenberg and performed Beethoven with the Israel Philharmonic under the direction of Leonard Bernstein. In 1946, Weissenberg went to the Juilliard School to study with Olga Samaroff. He also consulted Artur Schnabel and Wanda Landowska. In 1947 he made his New York debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of George Szell playing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3. Between 1957 and 1966 he took an extended sabbatical for the purpose of studying and teaching. Weissenberg resumed his career in 1966 by giving a recital in Paris; later that year he played Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in Berlin conducted by Herbert von Karajan, who praised him as "one of the best pianists of our time". Bryce Morrison, in "Gramophone", described his early 1970s recording of the Liszt Sonata in B minor as one of the most exciting and also lyrical renditions of the work.[citation needed] His readings of Schumann, Rachmaninoff, and many works by Frédéric Chopin (including his complete works for piano and orchestra, Piano Sonatas No. 2 & 3, nocturnes, and waltzes) are also very well known. Among his other notable interpretations were those of Johannes Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1, with Carlo Maria Giulini and Riccardo Muti, ("Les Introuvables d'Alexis Weissenberg", 2004), Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 with Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic, as well as his Piano Concerto No. 3 with Georges Prêtre and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Seiji Ozawa with the Boston Symphony Orchestra (also with Leonard Bernstein and the Orchestre National de France). His film recording of Stravinsky's Three Movements from Petrushka was also highly praised (January 1965, directed by Åke Falck). In fact, this movie is amongst the most ingenious of classical music film adaptions); when Karajan watched the movie, he immediately called for Mr. Weissenberg to step in for the planned Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 production, made instead of Sviatoslav Richter)... en.wikipedia.or....
A link to this wonderful artists personal Website: www.alexisweiss...
Please Enjoy!
I send my kind and warm regards,

[@deambulationseuropeennes]

Cette sonate est somptueuse, géniale, d'un romantisme poignant. L'interprétation de Weissenberg est pour moi la plus sensible, la plus intelligente et fine et - si j'ose dire - virile, tout à fait adéquate. Delphine

[@LandOnBolts]

It’s incredible how he plays with so much vigor.

[@dfddwm]

The best performance on record. Great sound quality and knife edge virtuosity plus huge romantic phrasing. Gets close to the Michelangeli ideal of perfectly formed and structured performance where the beginning and end are related, in deed all parts, to each other. Essential record.

[@goldberg72]

Confermo , in assoluto la migliore . Da valore al pezzo

[@llswanson11]

Can’t stop listening! Unforgettable pianist especially on this 1st Rachmaninoff Sonata.

[@ThePapsforshort]

...wow, just wow! ..heard this recording so many times..

[@britomelo3739]

Grande pianista e claro as suas frases!!!

[@giuseppelivolsi3059]

INCREDIBILE!!!

[@ThePapsforshort]

....just too good for words, first heard Weissenbergs recording of this work over 10 years ago on the Internet, so lucky to hear this performance...

[@ThePapsforshort]

...this is the 'rare' Deutsch Grammophon recording of Alexis Weissenberg's Rachmaninov's piano Sonata No.1. An extraordinary recording of a piano sonata that has gained much popularity over Rachmaninov's more well-known Op.36 Sonata...

[@ムーンウォーク]

本当に素晴らしい！ 心臓が爆発するんじゃないかと思うほど、感動しました! 1988年レコーディングと書いてありますが、1990年代には録音、コンサートが無いと思うので、このレコーディングが最後なのでしょうか? 30年パーキンソン病と闘っていたそうですが、1990年代にはキャリアを終えていたのですね。 本当に悲しいです。 もっともっと長生きして、私達に素晴らしいピアノを聴かせてもらいたかったです。 私は毎日ワイセンベルクさんのピアノを聴いています。 あなたは20世紀最高のピアニストです!

[@samaritan29]

Weissenberg above all, his performances of romantic repertoire is so unique in that he approaches them with classical tradition sensibilities. He brings this off with such aplomb, bravo.

[@ronwalker4849]

A. WEISSENBERG SHARES WITH GLENN GOULD HIS EXTROARDINARY TECHNIQUE DISOLVING THIS PIECE INTO AN EASY ONE OFF. NO, IT IS NOT ROMANTIC LIKE LISITISA BUT I ADMIRE HIS BRAVURA. HIS CLARITY AND DEFINATION LEAVE NOTHING UP TO ANY CRITICIISM.. ALEX REMAINS A MONUMNET TO MUSIC OF HIS TIME.

[@leonidveksler3097]

Very interesting and refreshing performance. Though the lyrical aspect was completely erased and it is hard to enjoy the beauty of this music with all music material played with constant speed. His interpretation reminds me a beautiful sculpture or ice figure. I don’t think though it is what Rachmaninov wanted. It sounds like a mix of Schumann and Brahms. Still very interesting and powerful

[@academyofmusicdance]

@@edwindepianist Yes, indeed. I just discovered him for myself. His interpretation of Rach 3 is very fresh, though I am not as impressed with Rach 3 as I was with Sonata 1. He is without any doubt a very talented artist.

[@steveegallo3384]

@@academyofmusicdance -- Just wait til you hear his PRELUDES.....Savage....Grand! Greetings from San Agustinillo!

[@wallace4729]

17:15 3rd mvt

[@emilyhutjes]

BRAVO BRAVO ! 🌷🌷🌷 (HOLLAND- august 2024 )

[@happycreeper6923]

28min ??! Is it a speedrun ? ;p

[@null8295]

try sonata 2 ... 15 min

[@michaelross9970]

How about perfect neuromuscular and motor skill memory coupled with sequential and perfect pitch recall, and incidentally photographic memory, throw in a little creative musical skill and spontaneity! Convinced that musicians are the top echelon of human endeavors with unmeasurable intelligence quotients 🤪

[@edwindepianist]

In other words: overwhelming.