People say failed musicians become music critics. This might be a bit cruel, but there is a certain element of truth in it. Another Rach piece I love is the Symphony no. 2. Previn's EMI recording is superb. Do give Ashkenazy's earlier Rach 3 a listen. It is a Kenneth Wilkinson recording and is up to his usual high standards.
I think I agree with you. However, my identical twin brother and I, we're both very attentive music listeners, and both musicians. We were talking about the 'critics', and the negative effect they had on Rachmaninoff. I believe they had stereotyped him as a pianist. How could any pianist have the affrontery to believe himself capapable of composing. How dare he. The upstart. We'll show him! Could something like this have been behind the attitude of these critics?
The trouble is with the press in general, is, in my view, they will happily rip into anyone, regardless of the negative impact their writings might have on someone. They seem to care not a jot about the harm they can and do cause.
Rant over.
I have the Ashkenazy /Previn version of the complete concertos. I'll give it another listen.
Changing the subject. Another favourite of ours is Lili Kraus's renditions of the complete Mozart Piano Concertos. Vienna Festival Orchestra, Stephen Simon conducting, Columbia Records, 1964, 1965.
It took us over a year to find the boxed set. It was being sold by someone in Romania on eBay for £127. We were delighted to get hold of that.