Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Sonata was extensively revised by the composer in 1931, and the revised version is tighter and thinner in texture (the Fourth Piano Concerto is a fine example the more restrained and less opulent textures the composer developed in his later years) than the original version of 1913. It represents a supreme challenge to the pianist in either version, and has all the hallmarks of the composer at the height of his powers – he had just finished his huge choral symphony The Bells at the same time. The 6 Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 are early works which exhibit the flamboyance of the youthful virtuoso. Sonya Bach includes three of the Preludes from the Op. 23 set. © Rubicon Classics