| Royal Classics |  |
| Disc No: ROY6459 | |
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It may be only a mischievous rumour, but the story goes that Tchaikovsky was not responsible for the whole of his world-famous Piano Concerto No 1. He worked on it during 1874-5 and sought advice from his friend Nikolai Rubinstein as to its quality. Rubinstein suggested putting it out with the other rubbish. Horrorstruck at such a suggestion from a man whom he considered a friend, Tchaikovsky vowed to stand by his new work and not change a single note. But it seems that he did turn to others for their opinion, and the tremendously effective opening paragraph may have been the work of the French-born pianist-composer Edward Dannreither (1844-1905). This may account for the fact that this majestic them does not reappear later in the movement. Not that this story, if true, detracts from the worth of the music. The 'Tchaik One' remains amongst the most loved of all concert works. Rachmaninov's piano concerti are direct descendants of Tchaikovsky's: Big, Romantic, and designed to move the soul of the listener while testing the hero of the hour - the pianist - with challenging difficulties, The intended hero of No 3 was its dedicatee, Josef Hofmann, but the work was written for Rachmaninov's first American tour in 1909 and the composer himself gave its first performance in New York that November. The almost immediate entry of the piano sets the mood of dark Romanticism and it is not long before the soloist displays his virtuosity amid broad and dreamy themes. The central Adagio, opening with lush woodwind and leading to sweeping string melodies, is virtually a set of variations, while the brightly-coloured finale has melodic links with the first movement. Here, the pianist is put through even more strenuous virtuoso sections, but the Concerto as a whole is no mere display piece. It is one of the composer's most skilfully structured works. Robert Dearling. Discontinued |
| Name: Rachmaninov Piano Concerto no. 3 | |
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| Composer | Opus | Produced | Music | Key | Performer |
| Tchaikovsky, Peter | Op.23 | 1986 | Piano Concerto no. 1 | B flat minor | London Philharmonic Orchestra - Walter Weller Dimitris Sgouros, Piano |
| Rachmaninov, Sergei | Op.30 | 1983 | Piano Concerto no.3 | D minor | Wiener Philharmoniker - Yuri Simonov Dimitris Sgouros, Piano |