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Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor
Restorer's notes: There's no doubt in my mind that this is one of the great recordings of all time - from the moment you hear the opening horns, orchestral chords and piano entry you know you're in a different league from most mortal performances, and at no point does the application of genius let up - this whole recording is simply magnificent. However, all was not well with the recording technology, as has been noted elsewhere by previous transfer engineers:
It is clear that Mark's transfer for Naxos uses the later issue of side 6. This restoration uses the original take 11R for a variety of reasons, though mainly as that was the copy immediately to hand. I also believe that the take would have been chosen for artistic reasons, and as a restoration engineer, decided to take up the challenge of correcting the speed error and integrating the far noiser 6th side into the entire recording. Likewise the final side has been separately adjusted tonally to try to make a smoother transition from the previous sides, though in this case one also detects a greater reverberation, suggesting different microphone technique, and this cannot be reduced using currect technology. In addition, this transfer of course benefits from the Pristine Audio XR remastering system. Others flaws in the recording don't help at times: "...the mastering of the original metal parts was faulty for several of the sides, leading to swish, inherent noise and...a general fuzziness and lack of focus..." (M. O-T). At times that fuzziness is all too apparent, though I've managed to tame it considerably, whilst increasing the upper frequency range by several kilohertz and correcting tonal inaccuracies inherent in the original. My clear judgement is that the beneficial aspects of the XR processing far outweigh its occasional highlighting of weaknesses in the original discs - never has this recording sounded quite as good as this! Andrew Rose, May 2007
Notes on this Concerto from Wikipedia:
History Tchaikovsky dedicated the work to Rubinstein, whom he also intended to be its first performer. However, when Tchaikovsky proudly showed the work to Rubinstein and two other musical friends at Christmas 1874, he was met with bitter disappointment. After they had given it a first play-through, Rubinstein hastily dismissed the piano concerto as "banal, clumsy and incompetently written" as well as "poorly composed and unplayable." He then asked Tchaikovsky to undertake a substantial reworking of it in accordance with his own wishes. The composer refused to listen to his friend, changing the dedication to the celebrated German pianist and conductor Hans von Bülow, an admirer of Tchaikovsky's music. The first performance took place on October 25, 1875 in Boston. The premiere was conducted by Benjamin Johnson Lang – with the solo piano part performed by von Bülow. The Russian premiere took place just one week later in Saint Petersburg, with the Russian pianist Gustav Kross and Czech conductor Eduard Nápravník. The piano soloist in the Moscow premiere in 1875 was Sergei Taneyev. Instrumentation The work is scored for 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in B-flat, 2 bassoons, 4 horns in F, 2 trumpets in F, 3 trombones (tenor, tenor, bass), timpani, solo piano, and strings. Structure The concerto follows the traditional form of three movements:
The concerto is markedly symphonic in character and differs considerably from the more musically conservative and outwardly virtuoso type of concerto that was then widely popular in Russia. Yet, the technical demand placed upon the pianist remains considerable. For example, there are a few passages with rapid octave movement. Speed and awkward note arrangement create further difficulties. As well, a performer must keep up with the overall monumental nature of the work with a very powerful tone that often dominates over the orchestra. The well-known theme of the introductory section to the first movement is based on a melody that Tchaikovsky heard performed by blind beggar-musicians at a market in Kamenka, near Kiev in Ukraine. This, the best-known passage in the entire concerto, is notable also on account of its formal independence of the movement as a whole. It is also notable that it is not written in the concerto's nominal key of B-flat minor, rather it is in the relative major key of D-flat. Despite its very substantial nature, once the theme has been heard twice Tchaikovsky does not return to the material again. Trivia
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