Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major / Piano Concerto in B Flat Minor Kent Nagano and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal

• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893): Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35:
• 1 Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35: I. Allegro moderato 16:50
• 2 Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35: II. Canzonetta (Andante) 05:42
• 3 Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 35: III. Finale (Allegro vivacissimo) 09:11
• Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23:
• 4 Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23: I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito 21:37
• 5 Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23: II. Andantino-Prestissimo-Tempo 07:07
• 6 Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23: III. Allegro con fuoco 07:06
• Total Runtime 01:07:33

Info for Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto in D Major / Piano Concerto in B Flat Minor

It's always good to hear Christian Tetzlaff, a violinist with a reputation for 'coolness' that instead I would call 'aristocratic'. His recording of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto reminds me of artists such as Grumiaux or Accardo--musicians for whom taste and attention to detail never detract from excitement or spontaneity. In this particular case we have a sensitively sung, never sticky Canzonetta and a remarkably cleanly played finale that catches the dance rhythms with total success and without any suggestion of vulgarity. Curiously, the same qualities also apply to Nikolai Lugansky's rendering of the Piano Concerto No. 1. You won't find Argerich's fireworks here, for example, but there's plenty of gracefulness in the Andantino and vigor in the finale--and the first movement holds together about as well as anywhere. Lugansky's cultivated tone gives the music a welcome Romantic sheen without the pianist ever feeling a need to twist a phrase like taffy to make points. This doesn't mean he's stiff--not at all, as any of the first movement's more lyrical passages prove; but as with Tetzlaff there's a sense of ease and geniality about the performance that I like very much.

Kent Nagano and the Russian National Orchestra accompany with enthusiasm and sensitivity, and as noted at the outset of this review, the sonics are very good--warm and well-balanced, with perhaps a touch too much oomph from the rear channels, easily corrected by an adjustment of the controls. There are many recordings of these works available, but if you're looking for fine modern versions in surround-sound, there are very good artistic reasons to own this--and you won't have to sacrifice interpretive quality for a sonic thrill. A good job all around! (David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com)

“These are stimulating versions of two favourite concertos, which take a fresh interpretative approach. Nikolai Lugansky's conception is spacious, with pianist and conductor taking time to relish the music's puissance. The opening is broad and weighty. Then, although the first subject of the Allegro has a vividly Russian rhythmic character, in both the exposition and recapitulation much is made of the beauty of lyrical secondary material and the Romantic link with Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet. The exquisitely delicate central Andantino is followed by a scintillating Scherzando. The finale bursts forth with irrepressible dash and virtuosity. When, near the close, the tempo broadens massively to make a hugely positive climax some forward impetus is lost, but Lugansky's bravura is thrilling.

Tchaikovsky's friendly opening for his Violin Concerto is shaped by Nagano in a mood of disarming simplicity, and the two main themes are invested with lyrical warmth. Tetzlaff bounces his bow with engaging lightness in the key passage (7'03') that Hanslick described as 'beating the violin black and blue', while the cadenza is played with such affectionate detail that it becomes a highlight of the work. Tetzlaff's playing throughout is polished and secure. In both concertos the recording has the orchestra placed naturally within a warm concert hall acoustic.” (GRAMOPHONE Classical Music Guide)

Christian Tetzlaff, Violine
Nicolai Lugansky, Piano
Russian National Orchestra
Kent Nagano, Conductor

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