Tchaikovsky / Dvorák: Piano Concertos

Antonin Dvorak (Composer), Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Leonard Bernstein (Conductor), New York Philharmonic (Orchestra), Justus Frantz (Performer), Philippe Entremont (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Justus Frantz, Philippe Entremont
• Orchestra: New York Philharmonic
• Conductor: Leonard Bernstein
• Composer: Antonin Dvorak, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
• Audio CD (July 27, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000JQGX
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,387 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito

2. Andantino simplice - Prestissimo

3. Allegro con fuoco - Leonard Bernstein

4. Allegro agitato

5. Andante sostenuto - Leonard Bernstein

6. Finale, Allegro con fuoco

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Very Best Tchaikovsky Firsts, December 23, 2004

By 

goodmusicman (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tchaikovsky / Dvorák: Piano Concertos (Audio CD)

It was very surprising when I discovered some less-than-enthusiastic reviews for this recording ( a negative one on classicstoday.com, and lukewarm reviews on classical.net, and right here on Amazon). I had long regarded it as one of the very best recordings of Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto. Bernstein conducts the NY Philharmonic with his usual passion, emotion--but without overindulgence-- and his knack for creating great excitement. Pianist Phillipe Entremont accompanies with brilliant and fiery piano playing that, together with Bernstein's conducting, really captures the drama and struggle of this tempestuous warhorse. (Entremont has got to be one of the most underrated pianists of all time, especially after hearing this recording and his recordings of Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paginini and Grieg's Piano Concerto, both with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra on Sony Essential Classics). There are other great recordings of the Tchaikovsky, particularly Van Cliburn in strereo and Martha Argerich in digital, but none of them convey the granduer and heroism that Bernstein and Entremont bring to this performance, making this work sound more epic than any other recording. I was very pleased when I saw a very positive review of this recording on ArkivMusic.com. Please read that review as it complements mine. The sound quality, using 24 bit remastering (the best currently available), is extremely good, better than the other stereo recordings.
The Dvorak Piano Concerto is not up to par with Dvorak's greatest works (like his cello concerto) and I am not familiar with other recordings of the work, but this is a very good performance and has great sound. The concerto has many memorable Slavic tunes and is a worthy filler.
In sum, get this recording for the Tchaikovsky. You will not be disappointed.

After writing this review, I found a review in the Nov./Dec. 1999 American Record Guide that I will share here. Although they weren't enthusiastic about the Dvorak performance (and so I have left out those comments), what they say about the Tchaikovsky performance speaks for itself:

"To Entremont and Bernstein, this was not just another recording of a tired old warhorse. It was instead an event of near cosmic significance. Our July/August 1997 Tchaikovsky Overview applauded the "beautiful teamwork" that these two great performers display here. It's no wonder that we consider this recording to be "just right". Emotions are heightened as in no other version. The playing is full of wonder, and there's a sense of discovery at every turn. Each note matters. Entremont can thunder with the best of them, though his playing is never unpleasantly percussive. Then he can turn on a dime and melt your heart with a tender, touching phrase. [Movement] II, for example, has never sounded quite as lovely or enchanting. And Bernstein is with his mercurial soloist every step of the way, providing unprecedented color and intensity in the orchestral episodes. Moreover, the New York Philharmonic was on its very best behavior at the recording sessions. The thrilling sound of the brass and the incisive string attacks will lift you out of your seat more than once."

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For Bernstein Fans, February 19, 2001

By 

Michael B. Richman (Portland, Maine USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Tchaikovsky / Dvorák: Piano Concertos (Audio CD)

This Benrstein Century CD coupling Tchaikovsky's and Dvorak's Piano Concertos is excellent, but really only for true Bernstein fans. The reason I say this is there are so many truly classic recordings available of Tchaikovsky's First Concerto by others -- Horowitz, Argerich, Richter and Cliburn to name a few -- that you would truly have to prefer Bernstein performances to all others to select this recording as your definitive version. Entremont's performance on piano is fine, but I have to give preference to any and all of the other four I mentioned above before this title. As far as the Dvorak Concerto goes, his composition for piano is not half the work that either his concertos for cello or violin are. And again, I prefer the Kleiber/Richter account on EMI Classics to this one by Bernstein and Frantz. In all, this recording is perfectly competent, but Bernstein fans would do themselves a service by diversifying their portfolios and selecting a performance by a different artist.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed bag, February 18, 2011

By 

Precession "Kevin" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Tchaikovsky / Dvorák: Piano Concertos (Audio CD)

Philippe Entremont is a good and sensitive pianist, and this is an enjoyable performance of the Tchaikovsky concerto, though there are of course plenty to choose from.

The performance of the Dvorak was one of four recorded by various companies around 1976 to celebrate the work's centenary - the others were by Sviatoslav Richter with Carlos Kleiber conducting (EMI), Radoslav Kvapil with Frantisek Jilek conducting (Supraphon) and Bruno Rigutto with Zdenek Macal conducting (French Decca Florane LP, also PG CD).

Justus Frantz must have liked the work, as he made two other recordings (with Helmut Muller-Bruhl and Jiri Belohlavek conducting) but he uses the Kurz edition of the score with thickened piano part, and none of the three performance he gave comes fully to life. This one is also unsuccessful because Bernstein doesn't seem at all engaged, missing many of the markings in the score. Richter, Kvapil and Rigutto all use Dvorak's original piano part. Richter performs wonderfully, but Kleiber rather aggrandises the orchestral part at times, so those who want a Richter performance might prefer one of the concert recordings issued of him in this work at various times. The Kvapil and Rigutto performances can both be strongly recommended - Rigutto being the more refined pianist and Macal a lively and attentive director of the French orchestra playing with him - this CD is rather hard to find at present though.

This CD is for those with a special interest in either of the pianists or Bernstein. Of the two performances, the Tchaikovsky is a enjoyable one - the performance of the Dvorak may also be enjoyed but doesn't show either the work or the performers at their best.