Track Listing

1. Concerto 1 - Allegro Non Troppo E Molto Maestoso
2. Concerto 1 - Andantino Simplice
3. Concerto 1 - Allegro Con Fuoco
4. Concerto 2 - Moderato; Allegro
5. Concerto 2 - Adagio Sostenuto
6. Concerto 2 - Allegro Scherzando

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9088 in Music
• Released on: 1993-01-12
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.com essential recording
What a story there is behind this recording! When Van Cliburn won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War with his playing of this concerto, it created an international sensation. The recording followed immediately thereafter, and Cliburn was launched on an international career of unprecedented celebrity for a classical musician. Perhaps the attention was too much, too soon, given his subsequent burn-out and retirement from public life. Fortunately, we have these unique recordings to document what was, by all accounts, a genuine phenomenon. This is the disc "heard 'round the world." --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews

Excellent
What stands out about this disc is how scrupulous Cliburn is in avoiding any scratches. I cant find anything close to an error, in either piece. It's a marvel of a recording. Not only that, the clarity of his playing per se is a marvel to behold. The pedal never blurs anything together. Runs were articulate. The orchestra was also crisp and sharp.

The only extremely minor thing I could find wrong with this piece is that sometimes Cliburn slows down during fast passages, when a more brusque approach would have worked. Perhaps a more impersonal, mechanical, or machine-like approach would have made the fast passages more fluent, more in tempo. These slowdowns can be found in the first movement of Tchaikovsky.

The Rachmaninoff was also clean but slow.

My first Van Album
I can't call myself an aficionado so take this for what it is worth. The Rachmaninoff Concerto is played during some ad (that I can't remember) and this spoils it for me. Okay so I'm a Philistine But it is a good recording and the Tchaikovsky is great. Refer to the experts (ha-ha) here for technical details. I am glad to have this recording in my library.

Great Tchaikovsky better Rachmaninoff Elsewhere
This is arguably one of the finest Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto recordings of all time. Unfortunately its not matched with a comparable performance of the Rachmaninoff Second Piano Concerto - the tempi are ponderous and Mr. Cliburn slogs through the 'alla marcia" in the first movement as if he were wearing fly-fishing waders. He peaked in his early years and there was no further artistic growth. Having heard him bungle his live concerto performances at Tanglewood, I know why he insists his live performances not be broadcast - his reputation is based on recording engineers and retakes. His victory in Moscow was political, he made a musical career out of it.