Customer Reviews

Shostakovich: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2; Sonata No. 2

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had recently reviewed the newish release of the two Shostakovich Piano Concertos played by Marc-André Hamelin. Raved about them, in fact. They were coupled with the all-but-unknown Second Piano Concerto by Rodion Shchedrin, which I'd never heard before but fell in love with. I honestly didn't think I'd hear better performances of the Shostakovich pieces anywhere - and that's saying a lot, considering that virtuosi like Bronfman and Dimitry Alexeyev have recorded them in the last few years. Elisabeth Leonskaja is a pianist I'd only vaguely known of before a friend introduced me to her recording of the Brahms First Concerto; I was stunned at the beauty and brains of her playing. It wouldn't be the usual Brahms player who could make the switch to Shostakovich easily. Brahms is weighty and in these two concertos Shostakovich is, for the most part, the class clown. I'm happy to report that Leonskaja makes the transition beautifully. These performances are light-hearted and deeply felt at the same time. If anything, the second movement of the Second Concerto is better than Hamelin's or anyone else's that I've ever heard. When I first heard it I had to play it three times in a row because I was reluctant to leave it, it's THAT gorgeous. In the concerto she is helped immensely by the fine playing of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra under Hugh Wolff. In that slow movement the muted strings are simply ravishing. Each time I hear the attacca beginning of the last movement, with its silly, gimpy headlong 7/16 insistence, I laugh out loud. The trumpet soloist in the First Concerto is Gary Bordner. His playing is stunning.

Shostakovich's Second Sonata is definitely NOT of a piece with the two concerti. It is a big, introspective, mostly spare essay in Shostakovich's polyphonic style. If you know his Préludes and Fugues, you'll have some idea of the style. Leonskaja plays magisterially here, never afraid to let Shostakovich's spareness tempt her to rush the second and third movements. Very nice, indeed.

Scott Morrison

I've just bought this album, and what a great surprise it has been! This is a very good version of both of the piano concertos. I read the recommendation in the Penguin guide and I'm glad that I followed their advice!

The detail is amazing, especially in the first concerto. The piano sounds great and the trumpet solo is done with both quality and humour, giving the whole work an unbelievable charm! Both soloists are superb and are excellently suported by the Saint Paul's Chamber Orchestra.

The second concerto is just as thrilling as the first. The slow movement is wonderful, an experience not to be missed, with the outer movements effectively contrasting it's sheer beauty.

The coupling is a very attractively played piano sonata.

A great value indeed!!!

I can't describe how much I love this disk, Leonskaja has a real affinity for this jerky histrionics and demented nursery rhyme character of the concerti. She also nails the extremely moving slow movements, which are truly haunting and get under one's skin. Every detail, every accent, every rhythm is executed perfectly. This woman is a goddess! First rate works and first rate performance, that the price is a bargain is just icing on the cake.

Brilliance, clarity and beauty beyond measure,

is what we find in this renditions of the

Piano Concertos by Shostakovich(One of my favourite composers).

Leonskaja is ready and well prepeared

for the task. Equally brilliant are Hugh Wolff and the

St. Paul Chamber...The price is great too and the sound

is superb...

I've owned this recording for some time, but I'd forgotten about it until I heard the second piano concerto used as background music on a documentary the other night. The melody from the second movement kept running through my head until I found it on my iPod and sat down to listen to it. I don't know why I ever let it fall out of regular rotation. It's lovely, and this performance is very good. For the price it's outstanding.

The first and second concertos are seperated by over 20 years, Stalin's purges, and WWII. They feel very different. There's an irreverant smartness and swagger to the first concerto that's missing in the second, which is tighter and sharper, though still full of Shostakovich's great sense of humor. It's the second concerto that I like better, though. It's filled with exercises for a piano student (and in fact is technically relatively easy for the pianist), but those exercises are elevated by brilliant polishing and fantastic panache into something more. The second concerto may be a relatively minor piano concerto, but it has some of the most exquisitely lovely music out there, and it's thoughtfully performed on this disk.

I don't consider this desk an essential part of my music collection, but music on it moves me. I could listen to it over and over again (and I have, four or five times in the last two days). Both concertos contain a spirit and a humanity that transcend the time and place of their composition, but they're also wonderful musical artifacts of the USSR, part of a musical tradition that couldn't have come from any other place or time. Listen to both concertos and you can get some feeling for what it meant to survive Stalin's reign. The SPCO under Hugh Wolff is right for this music, and Leonskaja is the right soloist. Definitely worth the money.

I'll add my 5 stars to those of the other reviewers. For a budget disc the production standards are very high. The orchestral strings are beautifully recorded and the solo work (piano but also trumpet in concerto no.1) is excellent. This CD is generously packed as well. A great deal.

What a serindipidous find!
I happened to be looking for a full recording of the Shostakovich's
Second Piano Concerto, as I was intrigued by the Disney rendering of the first movement in their 'Steadfast Tin Soldier' sketch on Fantasia 2000. Shostokovich has been a favorite composer for some time, after I bought a greatest hits CD. I have been listening to
the haunting second movement of the Second Piano concerto for
years and it's one of my favorite songs, I just never put two and two together to realize that they are part of the same peice. Great Recording, Great performances. Leonskaja adds a beautiful feminine touch to Shostakovich's hammer and tongs style piano. A must own for any lover of Shostakovich.

A fascinating and challenging piece of music that grows on you, the more you listen to it. Dmitri had
definitely been listening to some recordings of barrel house piano before he composed the last movement.

Excellent reproduction, beautiful sound and a masterful pianist. The whole CD is a must for any serious collector.

For me, this CD of Shostakovich's lesser known masterpieces is a blessing to own. Everything about this recording shines! The performances from the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and pianist Elisabeth Leonskaja are nothing short of outstanding, and it is flawlessly recorded; every detail of the music is presented with dazzling clarity that you can even listen to this in your car and still be able to fully enjoy it. This CD is also a great source for teaching (younger generations might recognize the "Piano Concerto No. 2 in F" from Disney's "Fantasia 2000"), and it is very enjoyable to relax to in the privacy of your home or office. If you are looking for one of the best recordings of Shostakovich's piano works, this CD is the one you should seek! It will earn a permanent spot on your CD shelf!