I'll never forget; my roommate from college and I were in the city for an event and we were playing in our college brass choir. This was years ago and I can't remember if we were outside Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center but I'm standing there and my roommate calls out "there's Van Cliburn". If the truth be told, I didn't even know who he was but we walked up to him and all I can tell you is, he was very cordial and definitely humble. He didn't have take his time to speak with two goofy college kids but he did and I'll never forget it!
I’m glad this recording is finally, in its full length, on RU-vid now. A real test of blazing pianistic pyrotechnics - balanced perfectly by its lyrical orchestration. It’s a pity this piece isn’t played any more.
Here's the background knowledge: For starters, MacDowell's popularity as a composer quickly dwindled after the First World War, as it put the United States (where MacDowell was born) and Germany (where MacDowell studied) at odds. This allowed for the jazzy idioms of Gershwin and the growing nationalisms of Copland to dislodge MacDowell's place as the "most internationally recognized American composer", which he was during his lifetime only. Since then, MacDowell's music has only faced more headwinds. Rachmaninoff actively disliked MacDowell's music, which is contrary to the opinions that Liszt, Grieg, Godowsky and Paderewski held. Though it's quite funny to hear that anecdote considering Rachmaninoff first heard this concerto in 1906-whereas Rach wrote his Third in 1909. This condemnation, followed by Rachmaninoff's unprecedented success, hurt MacDowell's possibilities to flourish as a household name past his death in Europe, as well. The Second World War was the nail in the coffin for some time-only Van Cliburn and Earl Wild dared to continue playing it. But it was their advocacy that led Andrè Watts picked it up a few years after, and finally, now some specialists at least know about this concerto. Too bad though. Cliburn is dead, so is Wild and so is Watts. MacDowell's concerto will likely not receive the attention it deserves for quite some time.
After listening to this performance a number of times, I think that overall the interpretation is marvellous,but surely the Presto Giocoso is too aggressive and not light enough.
