My favourite prelude -- and, if Moiseiwitsch is to be believed, Rachmaninoff's (it reminded him of home, or so the account goes.)

A lovely performance that moves between intimacy and deep grandeur. The middle section, beginning at 01:39, is very moving. Played by Boris Berezovsky live in Mainz in 2006.

The use of Neapolitan and modal harmonies, as well as suspensions (e.g., 4-3s that never resolve down), is pretty masterful.

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