There's no doubting that Hungarian pianist
Zoltán Kocsis has the technique to play the excruciatingly difficult piano music of
Rachmaninov. As he has shown in his recordings of
Bartók's piano music,
Kocsis has fingers of steel, bones of iron, and a back of solid muscle. And there's no doubting that
Kocsis has the sensitivity to play the passionately romantic piano music of
Rachmaninov. As he has shown in his recordings of
Debussy's piano music, he has the soul of a poet, the touch of a lover, and the compassion of a saint. The only question that remains to be answered is: does
Kocsis have the programming skills of an A&R director?
As provided by the evidence of this disc, the answer is an unqualified yes. His mix is brilliant. There are well-known works -- but not too well-known: there's no C sharp minor Prelude here -- and hardly known works -- but not too hardly known. Hardcore
Rachmaninov fans will know the Mélodie from the Morceau de fantaisie, but almost unknown works like the Polka for W.R. are absent. The succession of works is inspired: with preludes and etudes interspersed with the Mélodie and the Sérénade climaxing in the Herculean B flat minor Sonata,
Kocsis has built a program with the cogency and drama of a play by Chekhov. Captured in Philips' cleanest digital piano sound,
Kocsis' recital should be heard by anyone who loves
Rachmaninov.