2CDs
RACHMANINOV: Piano Concertos & ‘Paganini Rhapsody’ - THE PREMIERE SOVIET LP RECORDINGS
Compact Disc 1 (76.14)
SVIATOSLAV RICHTER
Piano Concerto No 1 in F sharp minor Op 1
USSR RTV LARGE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA conducted by KURT SANDERLING, recorded in Moscow in 1955
YAKOV ZAK
Piano Concerto No 4 in G minor Op 40
MOSCOW SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA conducted by KYRILL KONDRASHIN, recorded in Moscow in 1954
Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini Op 43
USSR STATE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA conducted by KYRILL KONDRASHIN, recorded in Moscow in 1952
Compact Disc 2 (70.17)
LEV OBORIN
Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor Op 18
RADIO ORCHESTRA conducted by ALEXANDER GAUK, recorded in Moscow in 1947
Piano Concerto No 3 in D minor Op 30
USSR STATE ORCHESTRA conducted by KONSTANTIN IVANOV, recorded in Moscow in 1949
To launch our new series devoted to the Russian Piano Tradition we have compiled a special issue which gathers together the first Russian recordings of all the Rachmaninov concertos.
Apart from Richter's 1st Concerto these recordings have been little known in the west, yet every one of them features playing of virtuosity and passion rarely equalled. Yakov Zak is somewhat forgotten today as his career was mainly confined to the Soviet Union, yet he was one of Neuhaus's greatest pupils and went on to become a great teacher at the Moscow Conservatoire himself. His recording of Rachmaninov's 4th Concerto was only the second to be made after the composer's own. Lev Oborin was a pupil of Konstantin Igumnov (to feature later in this series) and won first prize at the inaugural Chopin Competition in 1927. That he was entrusted with first recordings of the second and third concertos shown the esteem in which he was held at the time. His recording of the second from 1947 was only the third LP to be issued in Russia.