Just out of curiosity, I was wondering about everyone`s input on recordings. I have many recordings of the prelude and they are all very different from one another. What are your favorites or least favorites? My favorite in Alexis Weissenberg. From beginning to end it is an emotional experience. It builds and climaxes flawlessly. There is one that I can`t stand to listen to (and I normally love his Rachmaninoff) and that is Thibaudet`s. Some on his long pauses start to become really annoying and even frustrating to listen to. IMHO

I like Josef Hofmann.

But there is no question that Hofmann`s playing is impeccable (and based on Rachmaninoff`s recordings, Hofmann`s is probably closer to the tempo that the composer had intended) But I do like the version.

While this piece was playing inside my mind when I was in the shower it morphed into something "contemporary". I believe the new wave revival of the song "Always Something There to Remind Me" contained a riff of a part of Prelude in C# minor. Not bad though, but when I figured it out, it sounded like a joke on the rather dead-serious piece.

Did anyone else think that Rachamninoff`s recording of the Prelude in C#-minor was a little... wierd? I mean he shows great technique but he exhibited a lot of rubato, it almost felt like too much. My guess is he played it so much he just decided to screw around with it and make it an untypical (if that`s a word) interpretation. just wanted to get some other opinions on that.

ok guys, i have a question for you all. i`m in my fourth year as a piano player, and i`m working on this piece right now. how long (on average) do you expect it will take me to play it? I`m taking summer school right now so I only have about 45 minutes a day to practice, but i use that time well. I have been playing it for a week, and I can almost play the right hand on the first page-and-a-half with no stops or wrong notes. How long do you expect it will take me?

Shouldn`t take the whole summer. Looks like you`ve all ready got the gist of the first part. The triplets are just muscle memory and patterns, and the last part is just more chords.

with 45 minutes a day it should take you 3 weeks to a month and a half. I practiced about an hour a day (not all on C# minor though) and got most of it in 2 weeks. All of it in 3, but I`m still fine tuning it now. One thing you have to make sure you don`t do is mess up the rythm in the agitato section. Otherwise than that the difficulty in this piece is overrated.

I am currently teaching myself this prelude and i have never learned a Rachmaninoff piece before. However, I have been exposed to his music for most of my life. I was wondering if anyone could give me some feedback on how to properly play the Agitato section.

How to properly play the Agitato section: The way you like it. That`s all.

What`s the story behind Balakirev`s Islamey? I was always curious...please reply if you know!

everything that DW said is all true...and to Rrcmjp...Rach always always uses the Russian bell sound, either in the motif, or a passing phrase(rach 2 no.1)Rachmaninoff was a typical(well not exactly)composer...he would compose so many pieces without time to perfect them...like Beethoven, whatever he wrote on paper..THAT IS WHAT HE INTENDS FOR YOU TO PLAY..lol...its good to get a feel of his style...and listen to Rach himself play..but you should never try to imitate him, nevertheless imitate any "one" recording of any piece..if you listen to his barcarolle..it is more improvised..and his recording of the g minor prelude has more of a polonaise feel rather than a military..his technique is brilliante..but he`s a composer as well as a performer..remember that

I din`t know Rachmaninov composed a Barcarolle! Any good recordings of it out there?

alex, do you know what`s the story behind Islamey??