Four piano ctos plus
Rachmaninoff is the premier performer of his own work. His performances are legendary, he toured playing his and other composer's work. Noone could play these piano concerti better than he. The Rhapsody is a late tour de force, 1934, reflecting the intensity associated with Paganini with interesting variations and points of creativity, 24 in all. The concertos no. 3 and 4 are very technically challenging, esp no. 3. They were written for a pianist I admire, Josef Hoffman, who unfortunately, seldom if ever recorded his brilliant playing. Gustav Mahler conducted the piano concerti with the NY Philharmonic,and it is a challenge for contemporary pianists of all kinds. The days of the great Russian composer/performers are gone I am afraid.
