Title: passionless
Review: I am sorry to say that this is the most disappointing CD I have ever purchased. The interpretation is way too ethereal for Rachmaninoff. I've listened to it several times now to try to figure out what's wrong, and I think it's this. Shaw goes for a totally legato line, which is great as far as it goes, but it smooths out the accents; and Rachmaninoff's music is much more varied than that. The parts that are supposed to sound like tranquil prayers do, but Shaw makes the parts that are supposed to sound like Russian folk tunes (no. 15) or dances (no. 7) or cries from the heart (no. 5) all sound like tranquil prayers too. Buy a Russian recording, if you want to hear real passion.
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