ZORA MIHAILOVICH
Pianist in the Grand Tradition

ZORA MIHAILOVICH:
Rachmaninov Piano Sonatas No. 2, Moments Musicaux

Preludes Op.3/2, op. 23/4, op. 32/12 (Centaur: CRC 2483)

Fanfare Magazine, November/December 2001
By: Peter Burwasser

The world may not need another collection of Rachmaninov's solo-piano music, but this is a pretty good one if you happen to be in need of this particular grouping of pieces. Zora Mihailovich is a Belgrade-born pianist now living in America, and was a student of Carlo Zecchi and Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. Like other Michelangeli students, including Pollini, Mihailovich plays with notable dexterity and power. The clarity, never at the expense of dynamics, is especially impressive in the dense pages of the sonatas.

But like the aforementioned masters Mihailovich can come across, comparatively speaking, as somewhat cool and even impatient. This is especially apparent in the Moments musicaux, which exude more tenderness and sweetness under the hands of the composer, as well as in some more modern versions. And, while Mihailovich plays the sonata with riveting brilliance, there is more imagination and color in the recent live recording by Lang Lang, for example. But for those seeking an antidote to overly sentimentalized Rachmaninov, this disc would be an excellent choice.

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