Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Pianist Corner Which Rachmaninoff Edition? Particularly Preludes.

Which edition would you recommend for learning Rachmaninoff, particularly preludes but possibly études and moments musicaux? I have my old Boosey and Hawkes from 1985 but my son wants his own. We don't have a physical music shop here any more and it's difficult to work out what suits from internet listings. The ideal would be something like my 1985 edition but possibly with fingerings and more extensive notes. Does such a thing exist is there an edition you would recommend?

I’d go with Henle. They’re, generally, your best choice for an urtext. It will certainly include very extensive notes in the form of a Preface and Critical Commentary.

https://www.henle.de/en/24-Preludes/HN-1200

https://www.henle.de/Six-Moments-musicaux-op.-16/HN-1492

Both contain fingering from Marc-André Hamelin.

One nice thing about Henle is you can have the app on your iPad or phone - it is much cheaper to buy their digital music than it is to buy their hardcopy physcial sheet music and books. I print it out on nice paper.

The Peters Edition of the Preludes (Op. 23 and Op. 3, No. 2) catalogue No. 66900; and the Preludes Op. 32, catalogue No. 66901, both edited by Ruth Laredo, have some fingerings where the fingering might not be intuitive, but they are limited in number. Ms. Laredo has also included brief introductory remarks on how to practice/perform each Prelude.

Regards,

I very much liked Ms Laredo's Rachmaninoff playing She did the full series of solo works on vinyl. I remember haunting the Peters catalog after the first volume of preludes came out until they finally released the second one.

If you can afford to buy more than one, I'd get the Laredo (Peters) edition and the Henle. You can check for occasional text disparities and see which fingering suggestions best fit your hand.

I think the edition one should buy depends on what one needs and one's skill. For example, the Henle edition with fingerings by Hamelin, seems to have very minimal fingering suggestions so it might not be best for for the average amateur. There are probably editions with much more extensive fingering suggestions or even editions specifically designed for the student.

Something like this edition might be much better for most non pros:
https://www.amazon.com/Rachmaninoff-Preludes-Op-Alfred-Masterwork/dp/073900283X/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3GEEC76ZNH1RE&keywords=rachmaninoff+preludes&qid=1706063015&sprefix=rachm%2Caps%2C635&sr=8-6

All of the available editions are more or less just "reprint" of the original Gutheil edition (like Boosey and Hawkes) which was extensively reviewed by Rachmaninoff. Henle ackowledged that they changed only very minor details based on the available autograph. So the choice is less about the content and more about your specific needs and preferences. Like PL said, fingering or layout, comments, etc...

Since you're in the UK you might call Kensington Chimes music if they still exist, they're on Harrington Road and they have knowledgeable staff, and they have a mail order service. 0207 589 9054

No, I don't work for them .

Thank you everyone, lots of really useful information.

I guess what I'm trying to find is an edition that doesn't muck around with the phrasing or dynamics but does give fingerings. And an analysis/narrative would be nice although not strictly necessary. My old Boosey and Hawkes is true re phrasing etc so it's lovely to play but at the same time it's Rachmaninoff so to be honest even decades later I'm only really confident playing the ones I've done with a teacher who can work out fingering with me, and I know that getting editions with good fingering cuts down practice time so much, which seems to me even more important with Rachmaninoff given the technical challenges. I'd like my son to have that. And I'd like it for myself haha!

Just to update, we went with the Alfred Masterworks edition and couldn't be happier. It is a really nice balance - accurate but with suggestions and fingerings that really work. Eg the op 23 nr 4 is written with the overlapping LH/RH pattern that I was taught by my teacher but which wasn't in my book. And the fingering in op 23 nr 2 is really quite secure. And it lays flat for playing. Overall a very nice edition, thank you.