BaL 3.05.14/5.11.22- Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto no. 1 in B flat minor

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

9.30 a.m.
Chris de Souza with a personal recommendation from recordings of Tchaikovsky's ever-popular 1st Piano Concerto - a work that explodes with drama right from the arresting opening.
Available recordings:-

Valery Afanassiev
Geza Anda, Philharmonia Orchestra, Alceo Galiera
Geza Anda, Stuttgart SWR, Ferdinand Leitnor
Geza Anda, Cologne RSO, Sir Georg Solti
Martha Argerich, BPO, Claudio Abbado (recommended version 2014 & 2022)
Martha Argerich, Bavarian RSO, Riccardo Chailly
Martha Argerich, RPO, Charles Dutoit
Martha Argerich, RLPO, Sir Charles Groves
Martha Argerich, Bavarian RSO, Kirill Kondrashin
Claudio Arrau, Philharmonia Orchestra, Alceo Galliera
Vladimir Ashkenazy, LSO, Lorin Maazel
Joseph Banowetz, Slovak RSO, Onrej Lenard
Daniel Barenboim, Munich PO, Sergiu Celibidache (DVD)
Daniel Barenboim, BPO, Zubin Mehta (DVD)
Boris Berezovsky, Ural PO, Dmitri Liss
Lazar Berman, NKH SO, Hiroyuki Iwaki
Idil Biret, Bilkent SO, Emil Tabakov
Felicja Blumental, Orchestra of the Vienna Musikgellschaft, Anton Arensky
Jorge Bolet, NDR SO, Gunter Wand
Yefim Bronfman, Bavarian RSO, Mariss Jansons
Monique de la Bruchollerie, Pro Musica Orchestra, Rodolf Moralt
Roberto Cappello, Compagnia d’Opera Italiana Orchestra, Antonello Gotta
Shura Cherkassky, LSO, Sir Georg Solti
Shura Cherkassky, BPO, Leopold Ludwig
Van Cliburn, Moscow PO, Kirill Kondrashin (live)
Van Cliburn, Moscow PO, Kirill Kondrashin (studio)
Van Cliburn, Moscow PO, Kirill Kondrashin (DVD)
Van Cliburn, RCA SO, Kirill Kondrashin
Van Cliburn, NYPO, Dmitri Mitropoulos
Clifford Curzon, New SO, George Szell
Kurifuodo Curzon, VPO, Sir Georg Solti
Georges Cziffra, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Pierre Dervaux
Georges Cziffra, Philharmonia Orchestra, Andre Vandernoot
Nikolai Demidenko, BBC SO, Alexander Lazarev
Peter Donohoe, Bournemouh SO, Rudolf Barshai
Philippe Entremont, NYPO, Leonard Bernstein
Polina Fedotava, Kanagawa Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, Victor Fedotov
Andrei Gavrolov, Philharmonia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti
Elena Gilels, State Academy SO, Evgeny Svetlanov
Emil Gilels, French National Orchestra, Andre Cluytens
Emil Gilels, USSR RSO, Nikolai Golovanov
Emil Gilels, NHK SO Tokyo, Wilhelm Loibner
Emil Gilels, New(?) Philharmonia Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
Emil Gilels, Milan RSO, Fernando Previtali
Emil Gilels, Chicago SO, Fritz Reiner
Emil Gilels, USSR SSO Vladimir Verbitsky (DVD)
Emil Gilels, Alfred Wallenstein (DVD)
Bernd Glemser, Polish National RSO, Antoni Wit
Gary Graffman, Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell
Horacio Gutierrez, Baltimore SO, David Zinman
Derek Han, St Petersburg PO, Paul Freeman
Werner Hass, Monte Carlo Opera Orchestra, Eliahu Inbal
Stephen Hough, Minnesota Orchestra, Osmo Vanska
Vladimir Horowitz, NYPO, Sir John Barbirolli
Vladimir Horowitz, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Serge Koussevitsky
Vladimir Horowitz, NBC SO, Arturo Toscanini
Vladimir Horowitz, NYPO, Bruno Walter
Pete Jablouski, Philharmonia Orchestra, Peter Maag
Jeno Jando, Budapest PO, Gyorgy Lehel (download)
Byron Janis, LSO, Herbert Menges
Cyprien Katsaris, Leipzig Radio SO
Olga Kern, Rochester PO, Christopher Seaman
Jan Kimara-Parker, RPO, Andre Previn
Yevgeny Kissin, BPO, Herbert von Karajan
Pavel Kolesnikov, Calgary PO, Robert Minczuk
Kostia Konstatinov, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Charles Munch
Lang Lang, Chicago SO, Daniel Barenboim
Elizabeth Leonskaja, NYPO, Kurt Masur
Oscar Levant, Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy (download)
Jerome Lowenthal, LSO, Sergiu Comissiona
Nicolai Lugansky, Russian National Orchestra, Kent Nagano
Oleg Marshev, Aalborg SO, Owain Arwel Hughes
Denis Matsuev, Marlinski Orchestra, Valery Gergiev
Benno Moiseiwitsch, Philharmonia Orchestra, George Weldon
Eldar Nebolsin, St Petersburg State SO, Vladimir Lande (DVD)
Tatyana Nikolayera, Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Kurt Masur
Ronan O’Hara, RPO, James Judd
John Ogdon, Philharmonia Orchestra, Sir John Barbirolli
John Ogdon, LSO, Pierre Monteux
Garrick Ohlsson, ASMF, Sir Neville Marriner
Alice Sara Ott, Munich PO, Thomas Hengelbrock
Constantine Orbelian, Philharmonia Orchestra, Neeme Jarvi
Rafael Orozco (download)
Natasha Paremski, RPO, Fabien Gabel
Egon Petri, LPO, Walter Goehr
Mikhail Pletnev, Moscow RSO, Vladimir Fedoseyev (DVD)
Mikhail Pletnev, Philharmonia Orchestra, Vladimir Fedoseyev
Ivo Pogorelich, LSO, Claudio Abbado
Jean-Bernard Pommier, Halle Orchestra, Lawrence Foster
Roland Pontinen, Bamberg SO, Leif Segerstam
Victoria Postnikova, VSO, Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Sviatoslav Richter, Czech PO, Karel Ancerl
Sviatoslav Richter, VSO, Herbert von Karajan
Sviatoslav Richter, Leningrad PO, Evgeny Mravinsky
Sviatoslav Richter, USSR SSO, Nathan Rachlin
Bruno Rigutto
Santiago Rodriguez, Sofia PO, Emil Tabakov
Peter Rosel (download)
Arthur Rubinstein, LSO, Sir John Barbirolli
Arthur Rubinstein, Boston SO, Erich Leinsdorf
Arthur Rubinstein, Minneapolis SO, Dmitri Mitropoulos
Arthur Rubinstein, BBC SO, Rudolf Schwarz (download)
Mikhail Rudy, St Petersburg PO, Mariss Jansons
Fazil Say
Grigory Sokolov
Solomon, Kansas PO, Hans Schwieger
Solomon, Philharmonia Orchestra, Issay Dobrowen
Mathais Soucek, Wurttemberg PO, Stefan Malzew
Yevgeny Sudbin, Sao Paulo SO, John Neschling
Alexander Svyatkin, St Petersburg State SO, Andrei Anikhanov
Simon Tedeschi, Queensland SO, Richard Bonynge
Serbio Tiempo, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana, Alexadre Rabinovitch
Francois du Toit, Cape Town SO, Omri Hadari
Donill Trifonov, Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev
Nebuyuki Tsujil, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (DVD)
Ayako Uehara, LSO, Rafael Frubeck de Burgos
Arcadi Volodos, BPO, Seiji Ozawa
Andre Watts, Atlanta SO, Yoel Levi
Alex Weissenberg, Orchestre de Paris, Herbert von Karajan
Earl Wild, RPO, Anatole Fistoulari
Joyce Young, Odense SO, Alexander Lazarev


Supplementary recordings, some of which may be available:-
Berman BPO Karajan
Ciccolini PCO Cluytens
Devoyon PO Dutoit
Dichter SWFSO Latham-Koenig
Gilels NYPO Mehta
Gutierrez LSO Previn
Istomin PhO Ormandy
Joselson PhO Ormandy
Katchen LSO Gamba
O'Hara RPO Judd
Pennario LAPO Leinsdorf
Schiff A CSO Solti
Sevidov RussPO Friedmann
Sgouros LPO Weller
Andrej Hoteev, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Tchaikowsky Symphony Orchestra Moscow

And from the Brilliant Classics Tchaikovsky Edition:
Watts NYPO Bernstein
Janis, Minneapolis SO, Skrowaczewski
Oborin, USSR State TV and Radio O, Gauk
Gilels, USSR State SO, Kondrashin
Richter, Moscow PO, Kondrashin
Kissin, St Petersburg Academic SO, Gergiev

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

This is for real.

[BBMmk2]

Crikey EA!! What a list. I have four versions of which one by Elisabeth Leonskaja(which I do not think is listed n/a, perhaps? Otherwise I have Martha Argerich, Ricaardo Chailly partnership.

[rauschwerk]

Easier, surely, to play examples from poor versions and let us choose at random from the rest!

[aeolium]

Tremendous effort, EA. An impossible task for the reviewer.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Tremendous effort, EA. An impossible task for the reviewer.

King Olaf would have been easier.

[visualnickmos]

How the heck can anyone sort the men from the boys in that lot, in 40 minutes?!

I suppose many of them won't even make the string trap, and of those who do, many again will fall at one of the jumps, and the final furlong will probably be between 3 or 4 runners - including a rank outsider.

Rank outsider; Ronan O'Hora/James Judd

Winner; now that would be reckless!

[Flosshilde]

How the heck can anyone sort the men from the boys in that lot, in 40 minutes?!

Well, I suppose excluding the female soloists would reduce the list a bit

[Flosshilde]

9.30 a.m.

Available recordings:-

Valery Afanassiev
...
[etc]

Is this a record?

[visualnickmos]

Well, I suppose excluding the female soloists would reduce the list a bit

Your words - not mine! but a sharp wit as ever from you, Floss,

I should have used quote marks thus:

How the heck can anyone sort the "men from the boys" in that lot, in 40 minutes?!

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

A shortlist might include

Ashenazy (even though he disliked the work)
Archerich (take your pick)
Gilels (ditto)
Richter (ditto)
Donohoe
Ogdon/Barbirolli
Van Cliburn

Is this a record?

I think so. It took longer to compile than Mozart 41.

[verismissimo]

Winner; now that would be reckless!

Richter, surely?

[MickyD]

Wot, no HIP version?

[vinteuil]

... a morning off here, I think

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Wot, no HIP version?

Well there could be discussion about the the 3rd melody note of the second movement. On its first appearance (played on the flute), it is the mediant. On all subsequent hearings, it is the submediant, and some conductors adjust the first hearing for consistency.