Josef Hofmann plays Rachmaninoff Prelude in G Minor, #5 live in 1937

Legendary pianist Josef Hofmann in a live performance of Rachmaninoff’s G Minor Prelude, #5, recorded in concert at the Metropolitan Opera House on November 28, 1937 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his debut. The middle section is particularly remarkable, with a melodic subject seeming to float above the rest of the music. Rachmaninoff dedicated his Third Piano Concerto to Hofmann, who never played it (he said his hands were too small but it has been speculated that there are other