TCHAIKOVSKY Piano Concerto No. 1
Tatiana Nikolaieva (piano)
Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/Kurt Masur
rec April 1959, Bethanienkirche, Leipzig
BERLIN CLASSICS BC 2134-2
[33.52]
Berlin Classics are distributed in the UK by
The Complete Record Company Ltd
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Tel +44 (0)20 7498 9666 fax +44 (0)20 7498 1828
I had the highest hopes for this disc but they were dashed.
In the first place expectations are bound to peak when a CD has a playing
time as short as this. Berlin Classics have put all their eggs in one basket
by not including, say, the Violin Concerto as a coupling. Hopes are also
high when the pianist in question is the fabled Tatiana Nikolaieva. However
despite a performance of undoubted majesty (apparent from the first bars)
and dignity this fails to engage the heart and senses. Perhaps this is down
to the 1959 recording though it is perfectly respectable if a bit
uni-dimensional. The pianist is undoubtedly a romantic and one with reserves
of power on display. Her recordings of Bach and Shostakovich (she was the
dedicatee of the Preludes and Fugues) show her to stronger advantage. I also
recall her superb account of the Medtner Third Piano Concerto on an EMI-Melodiya
LP so it cannot be that she was in any way 'unsuited' to concertos. Something
is lacking - perhaps that sheen of side-show brilliance that is so much a
part of this war-horse score. Here in an extremely competitive field there
is insufficient to mark out this version as anything other than good. A
respectable disc from which a new listener will learn much.
This disc will be an essential purchase specifically for Nikolaieva enthusiasts
or for those who must have every recording of the Tchaikovsky. For the rest
my preference would be for any of the Richter, Argerich, Gilels versions
or (my current preference) the idiosyncratically assertive Postnikova on
Universal's Eloquence label.
Rob Barnett
Edel
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