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

[Master Jacques]

Regarding Gerstein, he has, in fact, recorded the 1879 version twice. In addition to the live one with Gaffigan, there is another in the Bychkov boxed set of symphonies and piano concertos. See, for instance...

Thank you for this. I for one didn't know about Gerstein's second recording, as part of the Bychkov series. Has any other pianist espoused the 1879 urtext edition, I wonder?

[Barbirollians]

I got the recording date of 06/2002 from Musicweb site, apologies if that's wrong (or perhaps it was just released much later)

Could be - I don't own a copy just that Presto says it was released in 2012.

[Barbirollians]

Presto are wrong - perhaps it is a reissue - you are quite right Mike it was recorded in 2002 although judging by the Gramophone review not released until 2004. Scary how time passes.

[pastoralguy]

I picked up the Curzon/Solti/VPO cd this afternoon for…20p!

The 1959 Grammophone is rather lukewarm, saying ‘the Vienna Strings are not what they were’ and ‘their principal oboe is a certainty a dissenter as far as making concessions to poetry is concerned’. The quality of the recording is called into question too. I’m sure the cd will have sorted this out and I’m looking forward to seeing if I got value for money with my 20p!

[Barbirollians]

I picked up the Curzon/Solti/VPO cd this afternoon for…20p!

The 1959 Grammophone is rather lukewarm, saying ‘the Vienna Strings are not what they were’ and ‘their principal oboe is a certainty a dissenter as far as making concessions to poetry is concerned’. The quality of the recording is called into question too. I’m sure the cd will have sorted this out and I’m looking forward to seeing if I got value for money with my 20p!

A Decca Weekend CD of it coupled with Curzon's Grieg was cheap and therefore one of the first CDs I bought in the early 1990s . Jolly good it is to IMHO.

On looking at Gramophone I see that Deryck Cooke was a lot keener on the mono issue in 1960 and that often old grump Trevor Harvey waxed lyrical about the performance when it reappeared on Ace of Diamonds in 1969.

[Barbirollians]

Quite so - her reply was "who cares?", with an almost audible shrug of the shoulders. (And 'snap!', for me on the Anda/Solti disc.)

Very glad to have bought this . I highly recommend the record not only for the fizzing Tchaikovsky but the coupling is a radio recording from 1954 of Brahms PC 2 with Klemperer which is just fantastic tops his very good studio accounts with Fricsay and HVK. It’s terrific.

[Master Jacques]

Very glad to have bought this . I highly recommend the record not only for the fizzing Tchaikovsky but the coupling is a radio recording from 1954 of Brahms PC 2 with Klemperer which is just fantastic tops his very good studio accounts with Fricsay and HVK. It’s terrific.

My copy arrived this morning, and I second your enthusiasm for Anda's fizzing fire, in both works. A marvellous disc.