Tchaikovsky: Concerto pour piano n°1

Kern, Olga;
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra;
Seaman, Christopher

HMU 807323

Nakład wyprzedany, ostatnie 2 egzemplarze

Van Cliburn, Tchaikovsky's piano concerto and a famous competition Van Cliburn received his first piano lessons at the age of three, and twenty years later he had already reached an incomparable peak of fame: New Yorkers celebrated the young pianist with a parade of confetti - he was the first classical musician to receive this honour. And quite rightly so, by the way: the 23-year-old Juillard student had previously won the first International Tchaikovsky Competition with Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto in Moscow and thus, in the middle of the Cold War, relegated the Russian competition in his own country to the ranks. This triumph thrilled America so much that the press celebrated the young pianist as "American Sputnik". Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto has since become Van Cliburn's trademark; his 1958 recording of the work was the first classical recording to make it to platinum. After twenty years of a successful international career, Cliburn retired from the concert stage at the end of the 1970s -¬ similar to Glenn Gould before him, he withdrew from the limelight of public appearances to devote himself to his artistic development: "It was heavenly," the pianist confessed in an interview, "I had time to think and practice in peace In 1987, Van Cliburn ended his creative break with a concert at the White House, and his appearance at the Carnegie Hall Centennial Concert a few days later marked his definitive return to concert life. Cliburn began to take care of young musicians at an early age: since 1961, the International Van Cliburn Piano Competition has brought together young pianists from all over the world for a competition every four years. In 2001 the 26-year-old Russian Olga Kern was the first woman since 1969 to win the gold medal. Her victory was crowned with an international career: Immediately after her victory she was invited to make her debut at the Boston Pops, and since then her success has not stopped: The pianist has meanwhile performed all over the world and is celebrated by audience and press alike. That the Moscow-based artist has nevertheless remained Russian through and through is demonstrated by this recording of the most popular of all piano concertos, which is marked by passion, technical brilliance and poetry. Olga Kern may also have had her own highly musical ancestors in mind: Her great-great-grandmother was friends with Tchaikovsky's and her great-grandmother sang to Rachmaninoff's piano accompaniment.

SACD

Muzyka klasyczna

Harmonia Mundi

14-03-2007

093046732363