Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor / Concerto for Piano, String Orchestra and Trumpet No.1 in C (rec 1955/56)

Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor / Concerto for Piano, String Orchestra and Trumpet No.1 in C (rec 1955/56) cover $27.00 Out of Stock
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PROKOFIEV / SHOSTAKOVICH
Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor / Concerto for Piano, String Orchestra and Trumpet No.1 in C (rec 1955/56)
Shura Cherkassky (piano) / Philharmonia Orchestra / Herbert Menges

[ Medici Masters / CD ]

Release Date: Wednesday 24 October 2007

This item is currently out of stock. We expect to be able to supply it to you within 2 - 4 weeks from when you place your order.

Shura Cherkassky (1909-1995) was a pupil of the legendary pianist Josef Hofman at the Curtis Institute, Philadelphia. Cherkassky was considered to be one of the greatest romantic virtuosos of the 20th Century and apart from the playing the major Russian composers - Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Prokofiev, he was well know for his interpretations of Chopin, Schumann and Liszt.

He believed in being totally spontaneous, meaning that no two Cherkassky performances of the same piece were ever the same.

The EMI studio performance of Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No.2 with the Philharmonia Orchestra and Herbert Menges from 1955 precedes Cherkassky's live account on BBC Legends from 1991. It has never been issued on CD before.

The Shostakovich Piano Concerto No.1 licensed from EMI has also never appeared on CD before. Both the Prokofiev and Shostakovich are wonderful examples of Cherkassky's exceptional virtuosity.

The short fill-ups, all taken from EMI sessions in 1956 and never before issued on CD, demonstrate Cherkassky's wit and stylish playing.

The superb remastering has been done by Paul Baily.

Tracks:

Prokofiev:
Piano Concerto No. 2

Shostakovich:
Concerto for Piano, String Orchestra and Trumpet, No. 1 in C minor

Chasins:
Three Chinese Pieces

Poulenc:
Toccata

Stravinsky:
Circus Polka

Beethoven:
Bagatelle in G minor, Op. 119 No. 1