Scherbakov has an impressive
list of recordings for the Marco Polo
and Naxos labels. I have been greatly
impressed by his Respighi – both solo
piano music and the piano concerto –
as well as his interpretations of Liszt’s
transcriptions of the Beethoven symphonies.
Now comes a version of possibly the
most-recorded of all piano concertos.
Here he has to compete with all the
great names. Two questions immediately
pop up: Does he stand a chance against
the formidable competition and
do we really need another version of
this war-horse? The answer to both these
questions is a resounding YES!
This is the first SACD
disc I have listened to in real surround
sound and of course it adds something
to the feeling of being present in the
recording venue, but the difference
from a normal two channel recording
is not that great. Actually, when I
switched over to front speakers only
the recording gained in clarity. In
whatever mode you listen it is a good
sound, a bit bass heavy, but that can
also be due to the placing of my sub-woofer.
There is admirable balance between soloist
and orchestra, the piano sound is very
life like and orchestral tuttis are
impressive. I soon forgot about sound
quality and concentrated on the playing,
and yes – this pianist has something
to offer that definitely puts him on
a par with many of the greats. He is
a formidable virtuoso and can produce
steel fingered athletics when required
but what impresses most is his lyrical
playing. Time after time he shows us
the beauty of the music, the warmth
of feeling and he doesn’t over sentimentalize
as some pianists do. The score tells
us that Scherbakov is faithful to the
composer’s intentions. Listen to his
handling of the transition before the
Allegro con spirito (bar 110)
in the first movement, where he grades
the dynamics marvellously. In the Allegro
we also notice the fine interplay between
soloist and orchestra. Yablonsky and
Scherbakov obviously feel the music
similarly. The dolce e molto espressivo
(from bar 194) is also wonderfully played,
while the long cadenza, starting at
bar 540, is itself worth the price of
the disc: one is left breathless after
this demonstration of sensitive playing.
It is so beautiful!
The orchestra also
play well with some fine woodwind solos
and although there is no lack of power,
Yablonsky never yields to the temptation
to let his musicians pull out all the
stops and tip over into vulgarity. This
is noble music-making from all involved
and it raises the music to a higher
level altogether.
The slow movement gets
a beautifully hushed start, the flute
solo played dolcissimo as written,
and then the prestissimo gets
the right rhythmic swing, while the
final movement is fiery with a lot of
rhythmic élan. Indeed, this is
a truly great version of this oft-played
piece. This performance actually made
me listen with newly-opened ears.
There is a quite substantial
filler – or rather two. Of what was
supposed to become Tchaikovsky’s third
piano concerto only the first movement
was completed and published as a separate
concert piece. As such it has been recorded
several times but as far as I know it
is rarely performed in concert. I have
never come across it live, and that
is a pity, since it is a fresh piece,
that in the hands of a virtuosic pianist
can be a real tour de force. That is
certainly the case in this recording.
Here it is ‘completed’ with Taneyev’s
revision and scoring of the composer’s
sketches. This music is also worth a
listen, although it is not on the level
of the B flat minor concerto. As a vehicle
for a well-endowed pianist like Scherbakov
it is agreable, but having played the
disc straight through at one sitting
I couldn’t withstand the temptation
to play it once again – and then again.
And I urge readers to do the same.
Yes, Scherbakov belongs
to the Pantheon of great pianists. We
need this recording of the concerto
in spite of the catalogue being flooded
with other versions.
Göran Forsling
see also review
by Colin Clarke
Konstantin Scherbakov (piano) 
NAXOS 6.110051 [69:15] 
