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Except for the Medtner, which seems to be previously unreleased, these recordings were made for
Reader's Digest: the Tchaikovsky in 1976, Mussorgsky in 1966. In the Tchaikovsky series (here, as usual, mislabeled
The Seasons), Wild plays beautifully, characterizing each piece with complete conviction and his usual range of pianistic resources. The Medtner is also very well played. Unfortunately, the Mussorgsky performance is a disaster. Most of the sections are sluggish and uninteresting, except where Wild tries to whip up some excitement by rewriting the music and adding meretricious effects. Stick with
Richter for
Pictures. Otherwise, this is a very fine CD.
--Leslie Gerber
Product Description
Earl Wild is the last living link to the grand tradition of piano playing. Called by his peers, "The Romantic Master", Wild's interpretations of Russian piano masterpieces are second to none. Gramophone magazine praised Wild's performance of Tchaikovsky's music: "Relatively few pianists, past, present or future, could play like this." Mussorgsky's monumental score is equally stunning. This extraordinary Russian recital by Wild also contains the rarely heard, virtuoso Improvisation, Opus 31, No.1 by Nikolai Medtner. For lovers of great Russian piano music -- this is the choice! Remastered by Ivory Classics using 24-bit HDCD technology.
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$22.99