16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Legendary Pianist in Mixed Bag of Piano Concertos, April 30, 1999
This review is from: Julius Katchen II (Great Pianists of the 20th Century series) (Audio CD)
Well, I bought the sampler of this series, and this was the most interesting of the bunch. Most people will have lots of the other released in CD format or LP format. However, many of these performances are not readily availible. Katchen was a fireband, but sometimes he got carried away and could be somewhat cold. These are all masterpieces in one way or another. The Ravel Left Hand, one of my favorites, seems rushed in places. The sound quality is a tad bit distant. His Ravel G Major, is much better, with better sound and a more involved performance. The Dohnanyi and the Rachmaninov Rhapsody are perfectly paced, and no allowance has to be made for the sound, which is very good. The Gershwin Rhapsody is one of Katchen's specialties, and I have always enjoyed this performance, although it is too old to be authentic (although you hear a Banjo in there!). The Beethoven Rondo (a reject from the 2nd piano concerto, but a great piece on its own) is lively, but a slower tempo might have brought on a more suble performance. The Prokofiev 3rd, however is a knock-out and makes this set well worth getting. A virtuoso performance of the Liszt 2nd Concerto rounds out this well-filled set of discs. They will give pleasure, but make sure you have alternate versions of these concertos.
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