Gilels Plays Rachmaninoff

Here is Emil Gilels performing Rachmaninoff's Prelude Op. 23 #5 often referred to as the Military Prelude. For those of you unfamiliar with Rachmaninoff, he is one the most important composers for the piano and one of the greatest pianists that has ever lived. His music is considered to be some of the most difficult of the romantic style. Like Chopin, Rachmaninoff composed at the piano and nearly entirely for the piano.

Enjoy!

Rzewski's Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues

This one has earned my clip of the week. Here is Rzewski's "Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues". Originally it is a folk song by Pete Seeger. Rzewski uniquely utilizes the sounds of the cotton mill for this piece. Rzewski is an American Contemporary composer who is respected musically but criticized politically . He wrote this in the late 1970's and it receives a good amount of programming for aggressive pianists.