Tchaikovsky's Piano Concertos
Tchaikovsky Piano Concertos
The Gramophone Choice
Piano Concertos Nos 1, 2 & 3. Concert Fantasia in G, Op 56. Andante non troppo (from Concerto No 2, ed Siloti). Andante non troppo (from Concerto No 2, ed Hough). Solitude, Op 73 No 6 (arr Hough). None but the lonely heart, Op 6 No 6 (arr Hough)
Stephen Hough (pf) Minnesota Orchestra / Osmo Vänskä
Hyperion CDA67711/2 (141’ · DDD) Recorded live 2009. Buy from Amazon
Stephen Hough’s contribution to the Romantic piano concertos series has been one of its outstanding successes and it is to him that Hyperion gives the honour of the milestone Vol 50 containing, as it does, the quintessence of this series: Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto.
All four concertante works were recorded live in Minneapolis. These, you can hear, are not performances made with the safety net of a studio but ones with a sense of occasion, purpose and risk-taking. Osmo Vänskä, particularly attuned to the sensibilities of Russian music, is an ideal partner for his inspired soloist. The old warhorse comes up as fresh as paint. Even with 130 alternatives on the market, this is an exceptional reading with brisk tempi and subtle nuances. The electrifying pace Hough injects into the codas of No 1 and the Concert Fantasia are suitably exciting, though these are nothing compared to the tumultuous final pages of No 2 (a tremendous performance). The audience whoops in amazement.
The best comparable set is Pletnev with the Philharmonia and Fedoseyev (Virgin Classics) in their identical programme. Hough plays with a weightier tone, however, and the Minnesota players are more forwardly focused and evenly balanced (Andrew Keener is the producer common to both sets). Hyperion also includes as extra tracks Siloti’s brutally cut version of No 2’s Andante, followed by Hough’s own solution to the movement’s structure (how Tchaikovsky must be kicking himself not to have thought of this) as well as two delectable Tchaikovsky song transcriptions by Hough. This is a great recording, no doubt about that.
Additional Recommendations
Piano Concerto No 1*. The Nutcracker – Suite, Op 71a (arr Economou)**
Martha Argerich, **Nicolas Economou (pfs) *Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Claudio Abbado
DG 449 816-2GH (53' · DDD) Recorded live **1983, *1994. Buy from Amazon
Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto has already appeared twice on disc from Martha Argerich in complementary performances: live and helter-skelter on Philips with Kondrashin, studio and magisterial with Dutoit on DG. Now, finely recorded, here’s a third, live recording with the BPO and Claudio Abbado surpassing even those earlier and legendary performances. Argerich has never sounded on better terms with the piano, more virtuoso yet engagingly human. Lyrical and insinuating, to a degree her performance seems to be made of the tumultuous elements themselves, of fire and ice, rain and sunshine. The Russians may claim this concerto for themselves, but even they will surely listen in disbelief, awed and – dare one say it – a trifle piqued. Listen to Argerich’s Allegro con spirito, as the concerto gets under way, where her darting crescendos and diminuendos make the triplet rhythm speak with the rarest vitality and caprice. Her nervous reaching out towards further pianistic frays in the heart-easing second subject is pure Argerich and so are the octave storms in both the first and third movements that will have everyone, particularly her partners, tightening their seat belts. The cadenza is spun off with a hypnotic brilliance, the central Prestissimo from the Andantino becomes a true ‘scherzo of fireflies’, and the finale seems to dance off the page; a far cry from more emphatic Ukrainian point-making and brutality.
For encores DG has reissued Argerich’s 1983 performance of The Nutcracker where she’s partnered by Nicolas Economou in his own arrangement, a marvel of scintillating pianistic prowess, imagination and finesse.
Piano Concerto No 1
Coupled with Brahms Piano Concerto No 2
Naxos mono 8 110671 (74’ · ADD) Buy from Amazon
Horowitz’s celebrated live 1941 Carnegie Hall recording with his father-in-law Toscanini serves up a potent mix of adrenalin-fuelled vigour and jaw-dropping virtuosity.
Piano Concerto No 1
Coupled with Medtner Piano Concerto No 1
Sudbin; São Paulo SO / Neschling
BIS BIS-SACD1588 (71’ · DDD/DSD) Buy from Amazon
An astounding new account from the 26-year-old Sudbin who brings a freshness and power to this warhorse. He is particularly good at the mercurial changes of mood.
Piano Concertos Nos 1, 2 & 3. Concert Fantasy
Pletnev; Philharmonia / Fedoseyev
Virgin Classics 561463-2 (112’ · DDD) Buy from Amazon
Pletnev’s imperious account represents tempting value, coming as it does with this same team’s laudable survey of all of Tchaikovsky’s output for piano and orchestra.
