This fifth volume of the recordings of Sergei Rachmaninov from Naxos covers the years 1918 to 1923, at the start of the composer's life in the USA. Arriving in New York in 1918, Rachmaninov quickly started giving concerts, in order to build up enough money to live away from Russia, which he left in the wake of the October Revolution. It was at that moment that Thomas Edison, with his habitual flair, brought the pianist-composer into his recording studios. Later, Rachmaninov would record for the Victor company, when he was at the height of his technical powers. This is a tracklist for both the curious and passionate collectors alike. It contains all the takes, as it hails from an era before editing. This means that we get three versions of the Barcarolle Op. 10 n° 3 and of the polka Lachtäubchen by Franz Behr arranged by Rachmaninov. We remain fascinated by Rachmaninov's straightforward, unaffected playing style, which is a matter of his own compositions, or music from composers as varied as Daquin (a fluent and infinitely delicate Coucou), Mendelssohn, Chopin, Debussy, Kreisler or Bizet. The listener will note once again that, contrary to widely-held belief, the tempo progressively slows down, rather than vice versa. Today, no-one would dare play the Valse Minute by Chopin or the Spinnerlied by Mendelssohn at such a speed. These 24 pieces make up a little over an hour of music, and paint a picture of a world in turmoil which, thanks to the magic of hindsight, looks today like a golden age. © François Hudry/Qobuz