Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor [35:27]
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G [43:05]
Denis Matsuev (piano)
The Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre/Valery Gergiev
rec. March-April 2013, Concert Hall, Mariinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Russia
MARIINSKY MAR0548 SACD [78:32]
This recording is a real treat. CDs that combine excellent recordings
of both the first and second piano concertos are about
as common as hen’s teeth, but these two deserve comparison
with any in the catalogue, individually as well as a pair. All
the participants are on magnificent form, and they are captured
in stonking sound which makes this disc a winner on every front.
Matsuev and Gergiev go at each other like sparring partners here,
each one encouraging the other to up his game in a way that spurs
them on to new heights. The first glory of the recording, though,
is the Mariinsky Orchestra, whose strings sound like world-beaters
in this repertoire. They set about the First Concerto’s
glorious introductory theme with a magnificently rich tone that
I can only describe, in most un-Russian terms, as nobilmente,
but then they are light as gossamer for the scherzo section of
the middle movement. Likewise, the brass and percussion punctuate
all the big moments without ever becoming too dominant, and the
winds milk out every nuance of feeling from the second subject
of the first movement. Matsuev, meanwhile, repeatedly shows himself
to be a master shaper of this work. He revels in all the fireworks,
such as the treatment of the big theme in the introduction, whose
fistfuls of chords he seems to toss off like an easy exercise,
or the thunderous octaves that usher in the final peroration of
the Rondo. As soon as the big introductory theme has faded away
he finds an utterly extraordinary lightness of touch for the first
theme of the Allegro con spirito, and he never allows
his virtuosity to become ugly or showy for its own sake. There
is poetry in his cadenza, for example, which teases the listener
as it gently unfurls its treasures, and he finds remarkable sweetness
in the outer sections of the middle movement. Everything comes
together in the culminating coda of the Rondo, which has all the
boisterousness that you would hope for but is always innately
musical. In this quest Gergiev shows himself to be a perhaps unexpectedly
sensitive partner.
The G major concerto is, if anything, even finer. The orchestral
swagger that launches the first movement is fantastic, and sets
the scene for a larger-than-life performance that ekes every inch
of contrast and beauty out of this work. Listen, for example,
to the way that the ebullience of the first theme melts into a
second theme of utter sweetness - and a marvellous solo clarinet.
That sense of contrast feeds into Matsuev’s playing, which
is full of grandeur and lightness as required. His cadenzas, for
example, sound properly architectural rather than showy, and more
often not it seems to be he rather than Gergiev that provides
the rhythmic impetus that drives the movement forwards. That’s
especially true in the finale, which is explosive in its levels
of energy, rising to a final peroration that is even more exciting
than that of the first concerto. That rhythmic vitality is all-important
here, and is especially telling in the oriental, second episode
of the Rondo, which then bubbles over into the final statement
of the main theme. The highlight of the work - and, in fact, of
the entire disc - comes, as well it should, with the triple concerto
slow movement, one of Tchaikovsky’s most sublime creations.
The violin sounds magnificent at the bottom of its register, and
that soaring arch that marks the culmination of the main theme
has seldom sounded so good. The cello, too has a songful quality
that fits in brilliantly with that of the violin and the piano.
The moment where they recap the main theme after the contrasting
central episode brings the three together gloriously. Then, around
the five minute mark, the orchestral strings, about whom you have
almost forgotten after such glorious solo playing, remind you
again of that nobilmente streak that characterised their
playing of the First Concerto’s opening.
This disc is a true meeting of minds: soloist, conductor and orchestra
are all inspired to give of their best. They produce playing and
a sweep that makes both these concertos work brilliantly. Previously,
my favourite coupling of these two works had been that of Stephen
Hough in Minnesota — on Hyperion, and also featuring
the composer’s other works for piano and orchestra —
but the sheer class of the playing, together with the impeccable
orchestral sound, now makes me favour this one.
Simon Thompson
Previous review: Rob
Maynard
Masterwork Index: Tchaikovsky
piano concerto 1
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