Customer Reviews

Khachaturian: Piano Concerto/ Violin Concerto/ Symphony 2

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

...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.

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.

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.