Cheap Piano Concertos 2 & 3 (Music) (Rautavaara, Mikkola, Klas, Netherlands Radio So) Price

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Customer Reviews of Piano Concertos 2 & 3

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If you like Rautavaara's style, it's hard to dislike any of his compositions. Each one is so distinctly his own, announced from the very first notes or the orchestral coloration. That certainly holds up here, even though the works span a few decades. The pieces are recorded and played beautifully, and this is a wonderful disc to stumble across--I don't know of any other recording of Piano Concertos No.1 & 2 still in print.

The highlight here, to me, is The Isle of Bliss, which is also available in an Ondine recording. It's a beautiful, haunting piece written at the peak of inspiration--it creates an entire world in a very short space. The piano concertos are both great, though I find them, as a whole, slightly less compelling than some of his best work--even the First Piano Concerto. The Second is a rambunctious, volatile work, full of percussion and dissonance (yet not without deeply affecting moments). It's similar in style to his Violin Concerto and Sixth Symphony. Somewhat more tame is his Third, which is a glowing, reflective piece. Like the title, it has an "autumnal" sound, and seems closer to the sound world of his Harp Concerto and Eighth Symphony.

I highly recommend this work, but remove one star since it's not his absolute best work (which isn't saying much, since his less inspired work beats most composers' masterpieces). If you don't know him well, I strongly suggest the Seventh Symphony on Naxos, which features another amazing work, Angels and Visitations. Also grab the other Naxos disc with Cantus Articus, Symphony No.3, and Piano Concerto No.1 And finally, I think the Flute Concerto on Ondine coupled with the choral masterpieces On the Last Frontier is essential.