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Most Exciting Performance - Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No.1

post #1 of 12
3/19/10 at 10:59pm
Thread Starter 
My Vote & Personal Benchmark:

Vladimir Horowitz & Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra (1943) in a live performance, released by RCA in 1959.

Notes: I believe the concert was being used to raise U.S. War Bonds, and of course Horowitz was Toscanini's son-in-law.
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post #2 of 12
3/20/10 at 2:56am
Martha Argerich; Claudio Abbado: Berliner Philharmoniker, released by Deutsche Grammophon
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post #3 of 12
3/20/10 at 4:22am
Thread Starter 
I love their performance of the Beethoven 3rd and 2nd Piano Concertos , but I am not familiar with that performance. I will have to try it on DG. Have you heard the Horowitz/Toscanini performance?
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post #4 of 12
3/20/10 at 4:35am
Evgeny Kissin & Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic (when Kissin was ~17).
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post #5 of 12
3/20/10 at 5:16am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeusEx View Post
Evgeny Kissin & Karajan: Berlin Philharmonic (when Kissin was ~17).
I heard him play live several years ago and was very favourably impressed by his playing. I believe it was the Rachmaninoff 2nd.
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post #6 of 12
3/20/10 at 7:52am
If you can find it, there's an unofficial live recording floating around by Horowitz with the NYPO under George Szell (4.5.1952). (Not released at the time for the obvious reason that the pianist and conductor were contracted by different labels.) It bests either of the Horowitz/Toscanini recordings in practically every way. Particularly speed, god it's fast! (Rumour has it that Horowitz and Szell had a far more similar conception of how this piece should sound than Horowitz had with his father-in-law.)

For a more recent recording, Argerich's (second?) recording with Kondrashin on Philips is nothing to sneeze at either, by the way.

And for something completely different you might like to try Solomon's recording (with the Hallé Orchestra/Sir Hamilton Harty). Not particularly exciting, but so profoundly aristocratic that he makes this piece sound so much better than it actually is.
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post #7 of 12
3/20/10 at 12:07pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drosera View Post
If you can find it, there's an unofficial live recording floating around by Horowitz with the NYPO under George Szell (4.5.1952). (Not released at the time for the obvious reason that the pianist and conductor were contracted by different labels.) It bests either of the Horowitz/Toscanini recordings in practically every way. Particularly speed, god it's fast! (Rumour has it that Horowitz and Szell had a far more similar conception of how this piece should sound than Horowitz had with his father-in-law.)

For a more recent recording, Argerich's (second?) recording with Kondrashin on Philips is nothing to sneeze at either, by the way.

And for something completely different you might like to try Solomon's recording (with the Hallé Orchestra/Sir Hamilton Harty). Not particularly exciting, but so profoundly aristocratic that he makes this piece sound so much better than it actually is.
That's very interesting. Thanks. It's funny that you mentioned speed, because the Toscanini version is known for its fast tempo. We will have to compare the timing for the movements to see!
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post #8 of 12
3/20/10 at 2:20pm
All of the above are sensational, no doubt. Another one, a dark horse that few people know of, is the Nelson Freire with Kempe on Sony. Tremendously exciting, the voltage running high.
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post #9 of 12
3/20/10 at 6:21pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ridleyguy View Post
That's very interesting. Thanks. It's funny that you mentioned speed, because the Toscanini version is known for its fast tempo. We will have to compare the timing for the movements to see!
Yeah, it's all relative. But only when you compare it to the version under Szell you will notice that Toscanini is actually consistently reining Horowitz in.

The timings are (without applause):

Horowitz/Toscanini (1943)
Allegro non troppo 18:58
Andantino simplice 5:42
Allegro con fuoco 6:16

Horowitz/Szell
Allegro non troppo 18:21
Andantino simplice 6:19
Allegro con fuoco 5:56

This should also give some idea what a strange situation the combined American debut of Thomas Beecham and Vladimir Horowitz must have been. (Search online if you don't know the story.)
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post #10 of 12
3/20/10 at 7:38pm
my favorite is the Gilels/Mehta live from New York.
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post #11 of 12
3/20/10 at 7:45pm
Thread Starter 
I was intentionally trying to distinguish "best" from "exciting". Probably a lot of us would have issues with the tempo in some of these performances. Judging by the tempo in the 3rd movement, it sounded like Horowitz and Toscanini were late to catch a train/plane...but very exciting nevertheless!
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post #12 of 12
3/20/10 at 7:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drosera View Post
Yeah, it's all relative. But only when you compare it to the version under Szell you will notice that Toscanini is actually consistently reining Horowitz in.

The timings are (without applause):

Horowitz/Toscanini (1943)
Allegro non troppo 18:58
Andantino simplice 5:42
Allegro con fuoco 6:16

Horowitz/Szell
Allegro non troppo 18:21
Andantino simplice 6:19
Allegro con fuoco 5:56

This should also give some idea what a strange situation the combined American debut of Thomas Beecham and Vladimir Horowitz must have been. (Search online if you don't know the story.)
Very interesting ...and surprising. Thanks.
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