La Tribune 11.8.24 - Saint-Saens: Piano Concerto No. 2

[Nick Armstrong]

Very much enjoyed this edition on a recent road trip. An unusual one in the sense that one performance imposed itself right from the first round, both on the panel and on my ears… it has duly been acquired and listened to with much pleasure along with the companion works by the same artists

It’s always good when Alain Lompech is on the panel - I like his style and he seems to have similar ears to mine

[Pulcinella]

Spill the beans, Nick.
To emulate our dear old friend BBM: Who won?

(PS: Small edits in title for consistency; I wasn't given the opportunity to comment!)

[HighlandDougie]

Not surprised at the palmarès - it's a very fine performance among other fine performances. He - Alexandre Kantorow - is an exceptional pianist. Arte TV (so they should also be on You Tube??) has a recent Chopin PC2 and a recent Brahms PC2 which are well worth watching. His other S-S PCs on BIS are just as fine as the warhorse 2nd.

[Nick Armstrong]

Spill the beans, Nick.
To emulate our dear old friend BBM: Who won?

(PS: Small edits in title for consistency; I wasn't given the opportunity to comment!)

Thanks

This was the ‘in a different league’ winner:



The other contenders were Hough, Grosvenor, Rubinstein, Chamayou and Jeanne-Marie Darré (the latter of whom I confess I’d never heard of)

[Rolmill]

Interesting. I love this piece and listened to the Kantorow/Tapiola on YouTube several months ago, but good though it was I didn't think it quite lived up to the glowing reviews I had read. The opening seemed overly deliberate to me and the 1st movement never fully recovered. 2nd movement good, 3rd movement excellent (very fast but clean). Despite generally scintillating and beautifully balanced piano playing throughout, the (IMHO) flawed 1st movement puts it a little behind my favourite, Chamayou (followed closely by Grosvenor).

[Barbirollians]

Darre is a legend and her SS PC recordings utter classics !!!

[richardfinegold]

Thanks

This was the ‘in a different league’ winner:



The other contenders were Hough, Grosvenor, Rubinstein, Chamayou and Jeanne-Marie Darré (the latter of whom I confess I’d never heard of)

I have the Kantarow squared series which I thought left my Roge discs in the shade by a considerable margin