The Finest Piano Concerto

Since I was a child I have been passionate about classical music. I remember in my teenage years listening to 'Semprini Serenades' on a Sunday on the BBC Light radio programme (or wireless as it was then called). He introduced his programme with the words: "Old ones, new ones, loved ones, neglected ones".  He introduced me to 'The Warsaw Concerto' by Richard Addinsell, 'The Dream of Olwen' by Charles Williams, 'Cornish Rhapsody' by Hubert Bath - and so many more light classics. But his signature tune was taken from Rachmaninov's 2nd Piano Concerto and I fell in love with a piece of music that has stayed with me for sixty years.

I have listened to Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No.2 for six decades and I never tire of hearing it. It is, quite simply, the best piano concerto ever composed. Over the years I have collected many recordings of this opus. But there is one, just one, that always reduces me to tears. I listened to it again, just today. How many times have I listened to this sublime recording since it was released in 1971? I have no idea. Vladimir Ashkenazy, more than any concert pianist I know, lives and breathes Rachmaninov. His performance with the London Symphony Orchestra under the baton of André Previn stands head and shoulders above any other recording I own - and I have many. Ashkenazy's playing is so full of emotion and the LSO provides the perfect accompaniment to his virtuoso performance. The quality of the Decca recording is astonishing, given its age.

The most beautiful, romantic piano concerto of all time. If you don't know it, take a listen. If you do, like me, listen again, and again. And enjoy something that is beyond perfect....

Classic fM Hall of Fame 2014

Like 1000s of other classical music lovers I tuned in to Classic fM over the Easter weekend and enjoyed four days of people's favourite classical pieces as voted for by the public. The list of 300 pieces is eclectic and encompasses such composers as Holst, Vaughan Williams, Einaudi, Beethoven and Grieg. The scope of this annual event is unsurpassed by any other musical chart and I enjoy participating every year.

And so it was with a great deal of delight that I purchased today the 4CD set containing 42 tracks selected from the original 300, at Sainsbury's, for a bargain £7.99 (around $13.00). The recorded quality is superb and the pieces that came first and second are included:

1. The Lark Ascending by Vaughan Williams here played by Nicola Benedetti and the London Philharmonic Orchestra under Andrew Litton
2. Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No.2, 2nd Movement, with Vladimir Ashkenazy on pf, and the London Symphony Orchestra under André Previn

Whilst I have most of the composed extracts as full recordings on other CDs and mp3s this collection is a sheer delight to listen to. I recommend this collection without hesitation to all music lovers. CFMD34 on the DECCA label.