Repertoire: The Best and Less-Best Tchaikovsky First Piano Concertos 

20:31 "The late Gergiev" I just lost it 😂

Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto is an anthem of east slavics. Composer created this peace like variations on ukrainian themes inspired by local culture in Kamyanka. He put 50% russian and 50% ukrainain vibes, especially this proportion was kept in the beginning. So, as Bernstein said, "Thaikovsky was a genius of melody", thats indisputable point is a main when someone play First Piano Concerto. Pianists can play it over and over technically on competitions, but true beauty of this composition revealed in romantic (sometimes sentimental) melodies, in folk motives. Listeners forget a big piece of virtuoso playing in the first part, but they fall in bliss listening tender 2nd movement and tricky 3nd. I agree with David about Pletnev/Fedoseev recording. Early Pletnev was an enchanter of pianism, his playing was smart with a perfect technic. As for Matsuev, I dont agree about his last recording with Gergiev, it is pretty good too. Yeah, you are right about late Gergiev, its a shame what he does nowadays, but recording in 2014 with Denis is a good quality work. Gergiev and his orchestra have a huge experience of playing Tchaikovsky music, they know where the right place for each note. When I listening to that recording, I hear all nuances and accents which I need to. I am ukrainian and I grow up with that folk motives, moreover, I was singing vesnyaynki in school (ukrainian dance that you hear in the beginning of 3nd movement). So, I respect Gergiev and Denis for their attention to native roots of this music. My choice of the Best Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto is a recording was made by Mravinsky and Richter (1959, Melodiya). Elegant and strict playing, fabulous string and wood section (Mravinsky was a Lord of string section), colorful and vibrant pianism from Sviatoslav Teofilovich make this world brighter and happier when humanity hears that first tremendous chords!

Yes! I have been waiting for this. Thank you Dave.

Excellent talk, Dave! I appreciate your mentioning my Scherbakov review, which I had completely forgotten about! One sleeper that I'd add to your list is the John Browning/Seiji Ozawa/London Symphony recording on RCA. It has everything: symphonic substance, intelligent virtuosity and really fine sonics. This version rarely seems to get talked about, yet it's always been on my top five list, alongside the usual reference suspects, of course.

So many treats to explore, thank you! I was hoping you discussed the Janis/Menges one on Mercury. I find it a marvel of spirited playfulness and sensibility. Jed Distler called it "balletic" in his review and I think that's just the perfect word. I like their no-nonsense lively approach. Janis seems to be caught composing the work and having fun. One crucial thing they get right is the balance between piano and orchestra: here is one of the few recordings that don't make the orchestral melody be overwhelmed by the power of the first piano chords. There really is give and take. As for the slow movement, I've never heard a more moving and songful beginning, it almost brings me to tears with its simple and honest musicality. And Janis answers with a gorgeous golden tone, cushioned by the sweet strings. Cheers!

Boy this Argerich-Abbado box is amazing. Thx Dave.

This video brings back a lot of good memories. My dad passed away this last November and Tchaikovsky was his favorite composer. I grew up listening to the Rubenstein/Leinsdorf recording of this concerto. i remember going with my dad to hear Earl Wild play it with the Boston Pops, which was amazing! When he passed away I inherited his Pletnev/Fedoseyev set of the Tchaikovsky concerti. I also can remember getting the Argerich/Dutoit version as an LP in a record store back in the early 80s. All these artists bring something different to the table and show what a multi-faceted masterpiece this concerto is.

Ah, this saves me money! A truly fabulous recording. I’m a bit of an Argerich fan nut, too!

Dave. Great commentary and I am so glad you love the Rubinstein leinsdorf bso version as I do too. Leinsdorf did a really good job here in my opinion.

I've been waiting for this one! Another great video, and great recommendations. Thank you Dave! Will you do a video on the Second Piano Concerto too?

Glad you mentioned Yevgeny Sudbin. He's one of my favourite pianists. I really got into Medtner courtesy of the #1 coupling. Fans will know he's recorded 2 and 3 Medtner and 1 CD of solo works coupled with some Rachmaninov preludes plus many other very highly regarded releases .

Thank you! I learned of some versions I need to check out. thought I was the only one who liked the Scherbakov version!

Every now and then while driving I will hear some superb piano playing on the radio and it nearly always turns out to be Stephen Hough. I had that experience with the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto. It was a fast performance..very articulate and exciting. I haven't heard it again but have been meaning to download from Hyperion.

Really enjoyed this one Dave, and 100% agree with your assessment of Argerich at the end. I have a huge soft spot for the Kondrashin recording but you are quite right, the Abbado one is stupendous! I also remember seeing Pletnev and Fedoseyev doing all of the Tchaikovsky works for piano and orchestra In London at the Royal Festival Hall as part of the promotion for their disc, wonderful concerts. Great to see Earl Wild mentioned, such a wonderful pianist and a brilliant performance. I have that disc and there is a terrific performance of the Dohnanyi Variations on a Nursery Song coupling. I was surprised that Stephen Hough wasn't mentioned. However, up against all the rest he probably doesn't quite cut it for this one, although I think it is a very fine performance.

You David are my Go To man for classical music reviews. You have the most amazing collection of recordings ever ! Your reviews bring back memories for me when I used to collect LP vinyl records in the 60s and 70s from Town and Country Village Record Store in Palo Alto, California.

I knew you would come to this sooner or later. My listening history with Tchaikovsky 1 began in high school. My friend belonged to the RCA Record Club (it had a rather pretentious name that I don’t remember) and I the Columbia one. So he and another friend of course had Cliburn’s famous recording, while I opted for Istomin/Ormandy which I thought was as good! Then I bought Graffman/Szell and was blown away. It still may be my favorite version though I confess I haven’t heard it for years. As many other collectors did, when the CD era came I got Argerich/Dutoit which I still have largely because of its disc mate, Prokofiev 3 with Abbado conducting. I still find that unbeatable. My last Tchaikovsky 1 acquisition was the Argerich/Kondrashin that is the one I go to, mistakes be damned! Guess I’ll have to add Argerich/Abbado now. Thanks always for your enlightenment!

Thank You! That's the video I had in my mind and there it is! That's because of my recent not so pleasent experience of vinyl new edition of Lang Lang+Barenboim purchase - the vinyl has been not well produced and includes few cracking noises in some places - not only in the inner less dynamic area of the disc. Now I know why they give you for free the bonus digital download of the record... (I even weighted the stylus with special weighting device for checking...) Thanks again, as always many many precious and detailed info on the music and very elaborate and well argumented critique why this one is better or different than the other and so on.... All the best to You Mr Hurwitz, I am keeping on the listening and also playing the concertos.... Maybe some day Tchaikovsky 1st....

There are so many versions out there as you so rightly say. Good choices Dave. One that wasn't mentioned by your good self is near the top of my own list. The Ogden/Monteux/LSO live performance from Vienna beautifully captured on Vanguard. A very quiet audience too and it's coupled with a really electrifying Tchaik 5.

18:45 I very much enjoy Yevgeny Sudbin and his performances. I have many of his CDs. I hope you show more of his CDs in future videos.

Nelson Freire! And I thought I was the only one who loved that recording. That and Gilels/Reiner were the two in my library from the '70s. I heard Matsuev play it live and it was a scorcher, I think I'll try to find the CD.

Hi Dave ! My favorite version is a live recording with Terence Judd/Alexander Lazarev/Moscow Philarmonic Orchestra on Chandos.

Yes, Gilels recorded it with Mehta and the New York Philharmonic. It's a live recording at Avery Fisher Hall from 1979.

I second the mention of the Byron Janis. Also, a lesser known performance is by Tedd Joselson/Ormandy on BMG. It's coupled with a fine Prokofiev #2.

21:22 - "...given generously of itself to humanity..." - how well-expressed. And how accurate. Thank you.

I so enjoyed this, thank you very much for the daily videos. On my "Wish list", are (1) Ten best Richter, (2) Ten best Argerich and a detailed discussion on the Tchaikovsky piano concerto no 2. I would love to hear your thoughts on the latter. I downloaded the Richter/Ancerl and I greatly enjoy the performance. Thanks for the recommendation.

I read an article in High Fidelity magazine, about 50 years ago, about a studio recording that Horowitz made with Szell and the NY Phil. of the Tchaikovsky for RCA about the same time as the live performance. The Horowitz/Szell collaboration in this concerto was to commemorate the pianist's 25th anniversary of his New York debut. It seems that plans were made to record the concerto. It was supposedly done on the QT, as, while Horowitz was an RCA artist at the time, Szell and the NY Phil. were Columbia artists. They made the recording for RCA, however. BUT....the recording was not issued and, according to the article, seemed to have disappeared. It has not shown up in any Horowitz boxes and nothing seems to have been written about it since. It would be interesting to hear and to know that my memory of that article is not just a figment of my imagination.

My favorites are the Gilels Maazel and the Richter Mravinsky ones.

Hello Dave. Can't disagree re Argerich, or your other suggestions! I haven't heard it but Hough did all the Tchaikovsky concertos for Hyperion - any good? I think I prefer the Horowitz/ Toscanini wartime concert to the Szell one (which I listened to this week as I have that Carnegie Hall box). As re-mastered it sounds just fine. As an aside Chris O'Reilly, who is managing director or something at Presto Classical was just talking on Radio 3 here and he was saying that (for them, but they are important in classical world) its still about 80% physical product rather than downloads etc. So the CD is far from dead...

Great overview. My personal favorite is Pletnev/Fedoseyev. They find more romance, fantasy, spontaneous, and interesting takes on the music than any other I've heard, and Pletnev's technique is staggering. Those octaves! Two recordings you didn't mention of which I am also very fond is Richter with Mravinsky (I've never heard him with Ancerl, will seek out that one) and Curzon with Solti. Yes! The latter is a real sleeper, and features superb recorded sound. Richter with Karajan has always seemed to me like a weird mismatch. I'm so glad you mentioned Horowitz with Szell, as that one is far superior to the brutal, bangy Horowitz/Toscanini outings. Did they hate the music?

Great, myself I can add an iconoclast version by Pogorelich on DGG. I like it very much too;

I can't pick just one. I simply CANNOT. When I want to listen to this piece, I usually just pick one of the great ones at random. The one that I often think of as the best is the Horowitz/Szell version, but you're right. Once you've head it, you come to expect all the craziness that makes it special. I only listen to it once every few years but what a performance!

The sound on the Earl Wild recording is *fantastic*. You can hear all the nuances of the great man's playing without any ear fatigue, even played nice and loud. Well worth looking out for on the used market. Last time I looked it had not yet achieved the "unobtanium" status of some of the other OOP Chesky CDs.

Dave and Devoted Davidians, Could we ramble about Vladimir Horowitz for a short while (video topic???) A friend of mine went to his Met Concert in the 1974 and told me he only got about half of the notes right but he managed to 'get the essence of the work across'. VH's live recordings show us that he often would flub live, and that released recordings were hobbled together but various takes in the same repetoire in the same hall on different occasions. Horowitz had a marvellous touch. In the Tchaikovsky 1st you recommended with Szell what struck me most, besides the foto finish, was the nuanced piano sound. In Mexico City in 1987 I heard Jocy De Oliviera give a talk on Messaien Catalogue d'Oiseaux. When she explained how Messiaen expected pianists to play chords putting different pressure on keys to effect the sound produced I thought to myself, perhaps this is what VH does to get his sound. Folks who played on his pianos (usually without permission) claim it has a very light action. I'm curious what you think of this idea. As usual you've recommended some recordings I haven't heard yet and so the quest for the next roller coaster ride continues. Appreciatively JIM, Oaxaca

Argerich's 2nd rendition with Kondrashin, the final movement was actually done in 6.16. Add another 40 seconds of audience applause at the end. It was speedy mate.

Boston Symphony Orchestra did not premiere this concerto. They didn’t come into existence until 1881 several years after the premiere which did take place in Boston. There may have been Boston musicians who played the world premiere who later joined the BSO. The BSO has never taken credit for its world premiere.

Thank you for introducing me to Abbado/Argerich which became a quick favorite like Szell/Horowitz . Of course there are countless great versions , but I can't help myself for mentionning some that didn't make the cut . For me the best Gilels Tchaikovsky is the one with Maazel . It is very energetic and big , crazy but not in a speed and false be damned kind of way , in fact it is rather moderate in tempi . The other that I love is Ardasev/Bělohlávek with Czech Phil , mainly because of the characterful and lively playing of the Orchestra . The last one is Paremski / Gabel with the Royal Phil . The sonics of the recording is just too good not to give it a shot .

Hi Dave! Many thanks for insightful and interesting videos; but a question related to tchaikovsky pianoconcerto 1 and Richter&Karajan. "It sucks" and everybody seem to detest it. But, what exactly, is so bad about it? Best, Sampo

I agree with you on Van Cliburn comments. But I want to add that he did grow this piece. Late in his life I heard him perform it twice. These performances were more poetic, more introspective, technically adequate, beautiful grand sound...and in the end, memorable!

Spot on with top choice......don't forget argerich and abbado were a couple for a lot of their recordings and it shows

Hey Dave, what do you think of Jermone Lowenthal / Comissiona's versions of the Tchaikovsky Concertos?

I have to say the Richter/Ancerl/Czech Philharmonic is my favourite one - knowing it since I was a kid, as it was one of the LPs we had at home :)

What about Karajan's other recordings? The one with Lazar Berman is magnificent and there are Kissin and Weissenberg as well🤔

My favorites have been Richter/Ancerl and Argerich/Kondrashin. Actually I am more a fan of Ancerl and Kondrashin than of Richter and Argerich, and that was how I got to find those recordings. These two are the only ones that I can sit through the 2nd and 3rd movements without losing my attention. To me, this first concerto seems like a first movement affair. That's why I prefer his Second concerto, which I consider a real masterpiece, though I would be the only one who think that. Dave, I've been checking out your old videos recently. I find them really, really insightful. Thank you!

Due to the 'I can't get my first recording out of my head syndrome', I haven't yet found anything to match Werner Haas and Eliahu Inbal and the (ahem) Orchestra National de l'opera Monte Carlo. Ok. so I guess I should give some of these a go!

Dave, your comments are spot on about Van Cliburn's career. Early on after the competition he got to charge an extra dollar or two "Van Cliburn ticket surcharge" when he'd come to St. Louis. After a sloppy Brahms 2 and a Grieg (played at the Mississippi river festival in the summer) concerto that sounded like a student read through, audiences pretty well soured on him around here. sad waste of possible talent

I enjoy most of the recordings you mention, including your 'however;' but I have admit my go to 1st when I want to hear the piece is the live Horowitz/Toscanini 1943 war bond concert, "historic sound" be damned. To me its even more edge of your seat thrilling than the 1953 with Szell. (But NOT the badly recorded 1941 RCA H/T recording which is comparatively perfunctory.)

For me, the live Kissin with Karajan is the best. The tempi are very slow but to my ears it is the most musical of any I have heard. The orchestra sounds spectacular. Karajan had a way of holding the reins on younger virtuosi, as is also evidenced by the Grieg concerto with Zimerman, but the result is fantastic. I think the aforementioned Argerich version is also great and if ever there were a piece that benefited from alternative renditions, this would be it.

no quote for Gavrilov / Muti? greetings from Sardinia

A fantastic pianist that doesn't seem to have recorded this concerto is Rudolf Serkin. Am I wrong? I hope so.

I believe the version I tend to listen to the most is Cziffra/Vandernoot (EMI/Warner), coupled with my go-to version of the Violin Concerto: Kogan/Silvestri with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra.

Van Cliburn's performance is still a beautiful one. Hear a Shaded Dog first pressing Stereo.. Beautiful. I disagree with Dave. It is a classic and it continues to be so.

What do you think about the Kissin and Karajan performance? Is it at least better than the Richter one? XD

Great recommendations Dave, one and all. I prefer the Rubinstein and Wild, but I'm willing to give some of your other recommendations a try. Speaking of Rubinstein, you've mentioned more than once that you feel he's fading away in the collective memory of music lovers. Can it really be as bad as all that? I believe there was never a more cultured pianist than Rubinstein and that his place in musical history is solid. Anyone out there remember that documentary "Rubinstein at 90" that played on PBS decades ago? Anyone out there own as I do that 140 plus CD monster Rubinstein box set? I'm not saying you're wrong Dave, but one day I'd sure love for you to take the time and explain to the rest of us your rationale for Rubinstein somehow becoming less known. If true, perhaps some advocacy on your part might make a difference.

Do check out Abbado's recording with Ivo Pogorelich and the London Symphony Orchestra.

I agree. Argerich and Abbado are #1.

Nice that there was a shout out for the Concert Fantasia - I got to know it through an old coupling with the 1st (Katin, Boult on Decca - not a bad version for the Fantasia IMO). Interesting work reminds me in parts of some of his ballet music (but not a lot for the orchestra to do in this instance). It doesn't deserve it's fate but if the 1st is struggling for performances it doesn't stand a chance. Tchaikovsky's star generally seems on the wain. Shame.

From out here in left field: Andre Watts / Leonard Bernstein / NYPO. By performers alone, one might expect self-indulgence and banging. Instead, to my ears, its restrained and sublime with flashes of fire and excitement.

Thanks for another great video. I’ve just realised that although I’ve heard it many times I don’t actually own a copy! I will soon though…

An addendum. Just came home and listened to that 1943 Toscanini/ Horowitz recording again and oh man, it’s just one of those things that, in such a very recorded work, makes you think you never want to have another recording of it again! Sure you could have better orchestral sonics but you can hear what’s going on. Remembering a talk you did on Szell the other week, I think this is a much better balanced performance where the conductor isn’t trying to « push » Horowitz so much (this sort of thing did him a lot of damage obviously). It’s totally indelible and marvellous and must be still available on NaxosHistorical or Sony

I’m curious to know if there’s a specific reason why Karajan/Richter is a bad recording. Even if they didn’t like each other it doesn’t sound that bad to me honestly.

I too appreciate the Rubinstein/Leinsdorf recording (and their Brahms D minor), but not as much as I prefer Rubinstein/Mitropoulos. And Horowitz/Toscanini (1943) and Horowitz/Szell? Why no mention of Horowitz for this piece? And, for that matter, why no mention of Horowitz in general?

The recording that introduced me to the piece was Shura Cherkassky with Ludwig on DGG. I am a little surprised to not see it mentioned, but maybe it was higher regarded in Europe (or maybe I am just prone to nostalgia).

I always thought Dutoit was a good accompanist to many virtuosos. That first rendition is my favourite. I did like Argerich in her younger days.

I'm sorry, for me the Cliburn is absolutely gorgeous.

Are you some kind of close or distant relative of Vladimir?

I liked your comment about Gary Graffman being a more "intellectual" pianist. I think that quality, in the best sense, sums up his powerfully conceptual approach. But ever since I learned that he was Lang Lang's teacher I have been sort of mystified how he could have been involved in producing such a vapid artist. Weird.

That Richter/Karajan version turned me off on the Tchaik concerto for years, where I couldn't listen to at all, no matter who played it. I always wondered why the Van Cliburn version is in every thrift shop that sells records for 99 cents. Now I know.

Dave, to me, an even duller version of Karajan-Richter is...Karajan-Kissin. The slowest and without blood in the veins that I have heard.

Some “musicologist “ correct the unlucky composer with his own errors…happens in opera often.

I don't care even of the 1st piano concerto... Sorry Dave.