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Title: Disappointing performance of a first-rate work
Review: Rachmaninoff wrote this sonata (opus 19) and the Second Concerto (opus 18) at about the same time, and they are indeed quite similar, overflowing with haunting melodies, lush harmony, and dramatic climaxes. The difficult piano part is featured as much as the cello.Ax and Ma give a perfunctory and superficial performance, as if they're sight reading or have just learned the work for the recording session. They ignore climaxes and give little shape to the beautiful themes. There's much more to this music than Ax and Ma manage to capture.
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