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The first recordings of Rachmoninoff's Piano Concerti that I ever heard were with Ashkenazy and the London Symphony Orchestra. After many years and hearing many different pianists perform these pieces, I am still convinced that Ashkenazy is the greatest living interpreter of these concerti. His touch, startlingly fiery at times and lovingly tender at others, suits these works perfectly; Ashkenazy captures all of the Slavic fury without losing touch with the intense musicality that is needed to perform Rachmoninoff. Despite this, my favorite recordings of these pieces are not of Ashkenazy with the London Symphony Orchestra, but rather of Ashkenazy with the Concertgebouw Orchestra under Haitink. In these concerti, the orchestra plays a pivotal role along with the piano, often times playing the melodies while the piano accompanies. For this reason, the orchestra that is playing on a recording of these pieces is almost as important as the soloist, and the Concertgebouw quite frankly blows the London Symphony out of the water. In Ashkenazy's recording with the LSO, the orchestra has a rather thin sound, and the woodwinds don't seem to lock in very well amongst themselves or with the rest of the orchestra. Contrastingly, the Concertgebouw performs the part beautifully, singing out in the melodic sections and taking the background during the pianist's many displays of musical pyrotechnics. These recordings meet all of my expectations for such important works and will, in my opinion, remain in the canon of great recordings for many many years to come.