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Track Listings
| 1. SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No 1 in C minor Op 35 [22'14] |
| 2. SHOSTAKOVICH Piano Concerto No 2 in F major Op 102 [19'16] |
| 3. SHCHEDRIN Piano Concerto No 2 (1966) [21'26] |
Product Description
Review
Marc-André Hamelin is a superb advocate for all three piecesthe zip and zest of much of the writing presenting no difficulty to this extraordinary virtuoso. --GRAMOPHONE
Hamelin earns a top recommendation here, and he's sympathetically supported by Litton and the excellent Scottish ensemble those looking for their first recordings of the Shostakovich concertos won't go wrong with Hamelin. --FANFARE, USA
Hamelin earns a top recommendation here, and he's sympathetically supported by Litton and the excellent Scottish ensemble those looking for their first recordings of the Shostakovich concertos won't go wrong with Hamelin. --FANFARE, USA
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Somehow this issue got past me when it was released. I usually get everything Marc-André Hamelin records immediately after it comes out; this time a whole three months went by! But it's never too late and I was certainly delighted to come by this release from January 2004. The disc contains three of the most insouciant piano concertos ever written. Shostakovich has two personalities: the somber, angst-filled one as in the two violin concerti, and the class cut-up as in these two piano concertos. Here we get Shostakovich the scamp, and in a somewhat similar style, the piano concerto by Rodion Shchedrin (b. 1932). Hamelin is perfect for these concerti because, even though they are not the super-virtuosic type he often records, they require a certain devil-may-care quality which he possesses in abundance (just listen to his recordings of the over-the-top Alkan minor key études or the Godowsky recastings of the Chopin Études). Further, because he has accompanied his wife, singer Jody Applebaum, in some down-and-dirty cabaret songs by Bolcom, Britten and Schönberg, he has the experience to play barroom piano as required in the both the Shostakovich concerti. And he seems to be right at home with the bop piano sections of the Shchedrin. You can't tell me that Shchedrin wasn't familiar with Lenny Bernstein's 'Age of Anxiety' Symphony; the piano style is right down that alley. He's given terrific backing by the BBC Scottish Symphony under Andrew Litton. The superb trumpet soloist in the First Concerto is Mark O'Keeffe.
I'd never heard the Shchedrin Concerto before, so I can't compare it with any other performances. But I've long had and loved the recording that Shostakovich made as pianist with André Cluytens conducting. That has been reissued, with somewhat cleaned-up sound, on EMI and is still available. The sound is somewhat brittle compared to this issue and obviously is to be valued because of Shostakovich's presence, but I think I like the Hamelin performances more. I also like Yefim Bronfman's recording of the Shostakovich concerti, available on Sony, and it has the advantage of also including a terrific performance of the Piano Quintet with members of the Juilliard Quartet.
Heartily recommended.
TT=63:11
Scott Morrison
Format:Audio CD
Heard Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No 2 on Radio 3 one weekend and just had to hear more. The recording is detailed and crisp and the interpretation is lively and interesting too.
The real gem here for me though was the discovery of Shchedrin. I'd not previously heard of him and his piece included here is absolutely fantastic, possibly not for the faint of heart - this is the kind of music I always expected my old Bassist friend to play when he kept claiming his gigs were going to be experimental and cutting edge, and it was written in the 60s!.
If you're getting into Shostakovich and want a good recording of his second piano concerto (not so sure about his first, there may well be a better interpretation out there somewhere) this is a great one to introduce yourself with. And as previously stated, the inclusion of the Shchedrin piece cannot be overlooked!
The real gem here for me though was the discovery of Shchedrin. I'd not previously heard of him and his piece included here is absolutely fantastic, possibly not for the faint of heart - this is the kind of music I always expected my old Bassist friend to play when he kept claiming his gigs were going to be experimental and cutting edge, and it was written in the 60s!.
If you're getting into Shostakovich and want a good recording of his second piano concerto (not so sure about his first, there may well be a better interpretation out there somewhere) this is a great one to introduce yourself with. And as previously stated, the inclusion of the Shchedrin piece cannot be overlooked!
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Very good on Shosty 1 and the Schedrin. On the 2nd PC, however, Ogden is peerless!
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