One of my favourite CD-sets I'd ever bought back in the day was the complete Rachmaninoff recordings. He's an amazing composer and great performer, but I'd shy away from saying any recording of his works is the "real one". The man was obsessed with paper and sheet music, which is a medium and art form in and of itself. The way what you've written gets picked up by others is just as real, and the performer's decisions are part of what draws a lot of people to this music.
Thanks for the link, really enjoyed it.