Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto no. 1

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was rather disappointed after listening to this CD for the first time. Evgeny Kissin is great as is the Berlin Philharmonic directed by Mr. Von Karaian, but the tempo is certainly much slower that usual. The first movement is over 23 minutes, about 2-3 minutes longer than usual. However, the more you listen to this CD the better it sounds. You become aware of nuances and details that are not as apparent in other recordings. What's interesting is that the DVD of the same event, the 1988 New Year concert, looks and sound just fine. I strongly recommend getting it in addition to (or instead of) the audio CD because it greatly enhances your perception of the total experience. Of course, if you really love Tchaikovsky's work, you will listen to other recordings of his 1st piano concerto. I suggest Van Cliburn with Mr. Kondrashin, which is also available from Amazon. Enjoy!

A great live recording from Berlin featuring a teenager and an old maestro. There's no hurry in the readings, often very slow but always convincing. The feeling af the live athmosphere gets through perfectly.

Allegro non troppo -- that's how Tchaikovsky marks the first movement. Many reviewers are extolling the Argerich and Horowitz recordings of the Tchaikovsky 1st PC, and if those are their gold standards, it would be easy to see why they find the Karajan tempo too slow. For me, this magnificent work is made a travesty by the mind-boggling technique but rushed performances to the point I imagine someone holding a stopwatch over the piano, or Martha or Vladimir late for the bus (or limo). (For a real laugh, listen to Horowitz and Toscanini reduce the work to a blur by racing through it at blinding speed with no detectable musical quality.) The piece looses all nuance and grandeur at these ridiculous tempos that impress many but don't fool us all. The Kissin version, in which the 17 year old was purposely held back by Karajan from his own technical display, carries a warmth and depth that most other performances lack. If you find it too slow however, try the REAL gold standard, Richter and Karajan and the Vienna Symphony in the early 60's.

Karajan made an early recording of the Tchaikovsky First with Richter and the Vienna Symphony, and now, near the end of his career, he accompanies another supelative Russian virtuoso. But the results ae a strange mismatch. Karajan seems tired and fussy with the orchestral parts while Kissin is obviously raring to break free. To accomodate each other, they hit a middle way that isn't veyr satisfactory, and the absence of a mutual spark makes this a disappointing outing for both great musicians.

Esta interpretación del famoso Concierto de Tchaikovsky debe ser una da las más románticas y sentidas versiones disponibles, si usted gusta de este tipo de concepción este es su disco. Personalmente para mis oídos yo prefiero una concepción más brillante y apasionada (Argerich/Abbado) ó (Gilels/Reiner).

Kissin is an incredible pianist, but.....

I do not reccomend this recording except as a means to compare performances, but that is it.

Kissin gives a 5 star performance, but, Karajan kills the piece with his plodding tempos. The third movement in particular is a bust. This is the moment of the piece where sheer, mad joy should scream out. Instead in gets snuffed out with a slow, heavy-handed treatment.

Kissin should really consider recording this work again, because he has the potential to give this work a stamp that only the elite few can do (Agerich, Horowitz.) Until that day comes steer clear of this recording.

For now stick to Agerich and Horowitz. Many people mention the Horowitz/Reiner performance, but look for the Horowitz/Barbirolli Carnegie Hall live recording (if you can find it.) It seems that Horowitz and Barbirolli really understood each other and this is evidenced in the Tchaikovsky and a performace of Rach 3, which is on the same disc.

Given this memorable melody, this piece would be exciting whether it's slow or fast. Even if you played this very quickly, you can keep your audience captivated, although you might miss many opportunities to speak. If played more slowly yet with the utmost expression --- as it is played here --- it can produce a huge effect and keep you just as captivated as the next fast version (unless what you are looking for is a rush of adrenaline rather than more depth).
I love Kissin's playing. It is clear like crystal, and he does the rubato in just the right places to make it sound "just right". Perhaps there is a reason he has not made another recording of this piece: that he cannot surpass the musicality of this piece.
Karajan's Berlin strings positively mesmerizes. Sometimes their entries are so full of feeling that they nearly break your heart. Towards the end of Karajan's life, the strings are more beautiful, yes, but actually - they were just that much more expressive. Every violinist is doing vibrato to the extreme, and you get a tender, heart-wrenching sound out of them. I think this is what this piece called for.
Besides, I don't think the tempo was too slow at all. Kissin's virtuosity still shines through. Especially in the 3rd movement. Don't listen for the virtuosity though. Listen for the musicality. And you'll like it.

Like many other reviewers, the tempos seemed slow at first. After comparison to the 15+ other versions that I have, I have come to the conclusion that this performance is the most musical. I recently went to a concert with Stephen Hough playing with the Seattle Symphony and the tempos were so fast that you really missed the weight and emotional impact of the piece. That is not the case here. The orchestra is full blooded and the piano playing is very impressive. You simply hear things in this recording you won't here in the others......much, much, more moving. The Van Cliburn/Kondrashin will always have its rightful place, but this is the recording I keep coming back to.

Although this recording shows the awesome ability of Kissin, Karajan's tempos keep this from being at the top of the heap in my opinion. The whole work is taken too slow for my taste and the sheer drama of the piece is not allowed to emerge. I much prefer Horowitz with Reiner of the historical recordings, and Martha Argerich with Claudio Abbado of the modern recordings.

When I listen to this concert, I see.. snow is falling thick and fast. Orchestra is, as it were, spring sunlight.... White snow melting into a sunlit garden gleaming with snow..... END