ADD THE -MANINOFF, PLEASE

Just one request: Would you please, in the name of God, stop calling it the “Rach 3” (“In Defense of Rach 3,” by Greg Sandow, Aug. 24)?

To all but the most heartless of souls, Rachmaninoff’s Third Concerto is indubitably a masterwork, and the fact that its beautiful melodies lend themselves to a popular, if unsophisticated, appreciation of the piece should not detract from its merits.

However, this does not mean we need to encourage people to adopt airs of breezy, unearned familiarity with the piece. For one thing, it’s just too grand; you’d no more call it the “Rach 3” than you’d address the pope on a first-name basis. And second, there’s already enough name-dropping in Hollywood as it is.

If people wish to create the illusion of being part of the “in” crowd, they’ve already got cigars. What do they need “Rach 3” for?

RANDY DAVIDSON

Hawthorne

* Thanks to Greg Sandow for his thoughtful, respectful assessment. To disparage the work because of its popularity is as silly as belittling Shakespeare for his popularity.

JOHN DEGATINA

Los Angeles