Rachmaninov Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Vars 18-24 - Leeds Piano 96 3/3

Armen Babakhanian completes his highly energetic, flamboyant and compelling performance of the Paganini Rhapsody with Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He makes a mistake in Variation XVIII but covers his tracks beautifully. Most people in the audience may not have noticed. However, the Jury decided to place him fifth out of the six finalists and not in the top three as I’m sure he would have been without the mistake. Howard Goodall commented in a section of the tape that got wiped for the Diana footage that it took emmence courage and determination to finish that piece after an embarassing moment in the spotlight. You can see a flicker of disappointment in the virtuoso’s eyes when he finally finishes.