Notes and Editorial Reviews
The intellect of Claudio Arrau, the poetry of Shura Cherkassky, the coruscating brilliance of Georges Cziffra and the classical mystery of Emil Gilels and Julius Katchen are combined in this set, featuring legendary performances of Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Grieg, Liszt and Tchaikovsky concertos.
R E V I E W S:
"Boult proves his sagacious self... The playing [in Concerto no 1] is excellent, even droll in places. Gilels sweeps into the first movement cadenza – the more concise of the two is played. The slow movement is highly expressive, whilst the finale is vital and engaging, with ensemble at its tightest. In the C minor Gilels can be trenchant, almost gruff in places, but he is also precise in
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articulation, with fine, even trills. He reserves poetry of a direct kind for the slow movement where the winds’ phraseology is admirable, and fine spirits are released in the finale, but are ever subject to the firmest of rhythmic control. The triumph of the playing is an index of Gilels own priorities, and strongly to be admired." -- Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International, reviewing the Gilels disc
"This valuable release nicely complements two existing live Katchen accounts of the Brahms concerto, adding a late one, from near the end of his tragically short life, to an early one with Ernest Bour at Southwest German Radio in 1951 (so-so sound on Urania), and a mid-career one with Franz Konwitschny at the Leipzig Gewandhaus in 1960 (excellent sound on Weitblick). The 1967 performance is vintage Katchen in its bigness of conception, mercurial reflexes, and expressive fullness and generosity, with that distinctive metallic glint to his piano tone... The sound is consistently good for its time and provenance, and ICA’s transfers and production values are of a high standard. This marvelous new label (successor to the late lamented BBC Legends) is a class act, and I wish it a long life. Highly recommended." -- Boyd Pomeroy, FANFARE, reviewing the Katchen disc
"Here we have [Cziffra] in all his glory, playing 'live' in the late 1950s in Paris... The delicacy of his lyricism in the second movement [of the Grieg Concerto] (it is at moments like these that you really appreciate how much more deeply felt and musical his performances are than Horowitz’s) is extraordinarily restrained, but then to hear the way he explodes in the last movement has the effect of a firecracker. The same is also true of the Liszt Concerto No. 1... This one is very highly recommended." -- Lynn René Bayley, FANFARE, reviewing the Cziffra disc
"From the very first note, Hickox is on edge, and I mean that almost literally…he makes Chopin’s orchestration sound almost like Beethoven or Schumann, full of drama and bringing out all sorts of inner voices with tremendous clarity... There’s a particularly delicious passage in the second movement when the piano’s descending chromatics clash on one note with the orchestra’s chord—exactly as written, but a detail that normally escapes one’s attention in most performances of the concerto. And Cherkassky’s last-movement cadenza is incendiary, as advertised. It’s a heck of a performance that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Cherkassky’s changes to the text of the score are certainly evident but, like Glenn Gould, they generally enliven and enhance the music." -- Lynn René Bayley, FANFARE, reviewing the Cherkassky disc Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Concerto for Piano no 1 in C major, Op. 15 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:
Emil Gilels (Piano)
Conductor:
Sir Adrian Boult
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1795; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 7/10/1967
2.
Concerto for Piano no 3 in C minor, Op. 37 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:
Emil Gilels (Piano)
Conductor:
Sir Adrian Boult
Orchestra/Ensemble:
New Philharmonic Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1800; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 7/13/1967
3.
Concerto for Piano no 4 in G major, Op. 58 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:
Claudio Arrau (Piano)
Conductor:
Christoph von Dohnányi
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Classical
Written: 1806; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 4/6/1959
4.
Concerto for Piano no 1 in E minor, B 53/Op. 11 by Frédéric Chopin
Performer:
Claudio Arrau (Piano)
Conductor:
Otto Klemperer
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1830; Poland
Date of Recording: 10/25/1954
10.
Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 16 by Edvard Grieg
Performer:
György Cziffra (Piano)
Conductor:
Georges Tzipine
Orchestra/Ensemble:
ORTF National Orchestra
Period: Romantic
Written: 1868/1907; Norway
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