COMPOSERS: Brahms,Macdowell
LABELS: RCA Victor Living
WORKS: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat. Piano Concerto No. 2 in D minor
PERFORMER: Van Cliburn (piano); Chicago SO/Fritz Reiner, Walter Hendl
CATALOGUE NO: 09026 68480 2 ADD 1961/60
I’ve always had an affection for this 1961 RCA recording of Brahms’s B flat Concerto (critically overshadowed by Richter’s near-contemporary version with the same conductor and orchestra). It still sounds very good: Cliburn, at the height of his powers, has a formidable range of touch. This fiery, spaciously structured account is vastly preferable to his 1972 Moscow performance with Kondrashin, also on RCA. The seldom-recorded MacDowell Concerto – a hugely enjoyable version, ably conducted by Hendl – makes for an unusual and attractive coupling. The sound is excellent, especially in the Brahms. Calum MacDonald
Brahms, Macdowell
I’ve always had an affection for this 1961 RCA recording of Brahms’s B flat Concerto (critically overshadowed by Richter’s near-contemporary version with the same conductor and orchestra). It still sounds very good: Cliburn, at the height of his powers, has a formidable range of touch. This fiery, spaciously structured account is vastly preferable to his 1972 Moscow performance with Kondrashin, also on RCA. The seldom-recorded MacDowell Concerto – a hugely enjoyable version, ably conducted by Hendl – makes for an unusual and attractive coupling.
Our rating
4
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:29 pm