Krystian Zimerman, Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra - Rachmaninov - Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (2003)

Krystian Zimerman is getting better as he gets older. He used to be one of a half-dozen great young pianists, a brilliant virtuoso with tremendous expressivity, enormous soul, and a habit of making even fewer recordings than Argerich or Pollini. Over the years of ever-fewer recordings, he's grown into an astounding virtuoso and the emotional power of his interpretations have grown with his technique. These recordings of Zimerman's performances of Rachmaninov's first two piano concertos with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1997 and 2000 are transcendentally virtuosic and their emotional impact of his performances is unrivaled in passion and precision. But the most amazing thing about Zimerman's performance is its strength and weight. Zimerman had recorded big performances before -- his Chopin Ballades are muscular and his Ravel Concerto is monumental -- but Zimerman's Rachmaninov is legendary in its scope and scale. Captured by Deutsche Grammophon's vivid and real sound, Zimerman's Second is one of the handful of great recordings and his First rivals Rachmaninov's own.