Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No 2 - Van Cliburn (1962)

Ideated from: the year in music, 1962

This isn’t the original 1962 release, but I believe it’s the same actual recording, with Fritz Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Classical music was still a big seller into the 60s, in no small part because of a new generation of electric performers like Van Cliburn. He specialized in the Romantic era music of gigantic gestures huge swells. He was maybe a little too successful for the time, as people later found his interpretations schmaltzy and dated. But an early recording like this shows off his mastery.

Rachmaninov himself was considered one of the best pianists of his generation, and his concertos are often considered some of the most difficult to play. Number 2, written in 1900, is a classic late-romantic-era piece. Three parts, in the fast - slow - fast arrangement that is common in a concerto.