Khachaturian: Piano Concerto/ Violin Concerto/ Symphony 2

Aram Khachaturian (Composer), Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos (Conductor), Anatole Fistoulari (Conductor), Stanley Black (Conductor), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Alicia de Larrocha (Performer), Ruggiero Ricci (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Alicia de Larrocha, Ruggiero Ricci
• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, Anatole Fistoulari, Stanley Black
• Composer: Aram Khachaturian
• Audio CD (October 14, 1997)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0000042DF
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #148,197 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Above-average performances, but..., July 25, 2004

By 

J. Vich "A. R." (Prague, Czech Republic, EUROPE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Khachaturian: Piano Concerto/ Violin Concerto/ Symphony 2 (Audio CD)

...well, both concertos as as writen above - not the best, but above-average for sure. Masquerade suite with maestro Stanley Black is excellent. Everything OK up to now - but here it comes: the most important work of the two-cd set, Khachaturian's rarely recorded Symphony No.2 (only two other recordings exist - scandalous, because it is a masterpiece!), is superb, ultimate preformance - far far best from all available, but the recording quality of the symphony is TERRIBLE. I do not often complain for sound quality of recordings, but in this case, it is simply unacceptable. The sound frays out often in heights, and in way, which will cause you pain, if volume is up. Whole recording is way too sharp, that's the problem. Big dishonour for Decca, but sound problems are not rare with this label... Really annoying, beacause the syphony is perfromed so so perfectly.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent Khachaturian compilation., January 4, 2005

By 

J. Leitch "leitch71" (Baltimore, MD, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Khachaturian: Piano Concerto/ Violin Concerto/ Symphony 2 (Audio CD)

I agree with the previous reviewer, except that the Symphony No. 2 was the actual selling point for me for this disc - Aram Khachaturian himself conducts the Vienna Philharmonic in this performance, and his account of the symphony is absolutely fantastic.

In my opinion, the sound quality is completely forgivable.

7 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good performance from relatively young Larrocha, July 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Khachaturian: Piano Concerto/ Violin Concerto/ Symphony 2 (Audio CD)

Although we have a definitive recording for Khachatrian piano concerto, i.e., William Kapell's one, this is still worth hearing, especially if you like Alicia de Larrocha and don't know her other than Spanish music. This is a good example proving that she is really a complete pianist, not just a Spanish piano music specialist.

I think that her other concerto recordings (Ravel Piano Concertos (for both hands & left hand), Rachmaninov No.2 & 3(!!), Chopin No.2, Franck "Symphonic Variations", Faure "Fantasie", Falla "Nights in the Gardens of Spain", Mozart No.25 & 27, etc.) during her Decca/London-era in the 70s should be reissued and heard much more.