The Piano Works of Rachmaninoff, Volume V: Sonatas, Opus 28, Opus 36: Piano Book & CD

This pairing of Rachmaninoff's two sonatas with Idil Biret's authoritative recording creates a complete learning and reference resource for advanced pianists tackling major Romantic-era works. Biret's artistry, shaped by study with Wilhelm Kempff and informed by her exhaustive survey of the Rachmaninoff catalog, offers a genuine interpretive model rather than a single "correct" approach. The 88-page score combined with the CD makes this essential for students preparing these works for competition, recital, or professional study.

These sonatas inhabit a world of dramatic intensity and emotional generosity, moving between introspective lyricism and virtuosic brilliance. The harmonic language feels both familiar and unsettling, rooted in Romanticism yet tinged with the unease of early modernism. Playing them demands stamina, sensitivity, and the ability to sustain long architectural lines while managing complex technical passages.

Advanced pianists preparing these major works for recital, competition, or graduate-level study. Teachers guiding students through the Rachmaninoff sonata cycle will find this edition and recording indispensable for demonstration and modeling.

• Study the harmonic language in sections before tackling full passages; Rachmaninoff's voice-leading is transparent once you identify the underlying progression, but the chromatic density can obscure structural clarity.
• Reference Biret's recording strategically for phrasing and pedal technique rather than as a template to imitate; use it to hear solutions to interpretive questions, then develop your own conception.
• Work the left-hand figurations with independence from the melody line; these sonatas require the accompaniment patterns to breathe and support without dominating.

Feature either sonata as a solo recital centerpiece, or program both across a two-recital season to showcase growth in interpretive depth and technical mastery. These works also pair well with other late-Romantic piano literature, anchoring a concert that traces the evolution from Brahms through the 20th century.

• Large-scale harmonic analysis and voice-leading in post-Romantic idioms
• Pedal control and resonance management in thick chromatic textures
• Left-hand independence and textural balance in complex accompaniment patterns
• Stamina and structural navigation in extended single-movement forms
• Interpretive agency through score study and comparison with recordings by major artists