Pyotr Ilyich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840-1893) Piano
Concerto No 2 in G major (1879) [45:08]
Dmitri SHOSTAKOVICH (1906-1975) Symphony No. 9 in E flat major
Op. 70 (1945) [28:25]
Andreas Boyde (piano)
Freiburg Philharmonic Orchestra/Johannes Fritzsch
rec. live broadcast, 13-14 January 1997, Sudwestfunk Landestudio, Freiburg
- Konzerthaus Freiburg
MINERVA ATHENE ATH CD 16 [73:34]
Good to see the re-appearance of this disc - first issued and reviewed here
in the very early days of the site.
These performances are taken from live events – witness the applause and the
occasional cough - for example at 6:56 in the first movement of the Tchaikovsky.
Boyde pulls off the storming stuff (I, 9:23) but is also very satisfying at
spinning the cantabile. The ‘chamber trio’ Andante is touching and Keiko Yoshono-Skiba
is wonderfully Oistrakh-hoarse. Garbis Atmacayan has the sort of glowing tone
we associate with Leonard Rose though not as imperiously recorded. It’s all
touching yet at the same time equable. The finale skips and glints with soloist
and orchestra singing from the same galloping and swooning hymn-sheet. It’s
a celebration in romantic exuberance. No wonder the audience greeted it so
enthusiastically. This is a fine live event with all the associated frisson
of risk and spontaneity.
We hear far too little of Boyde so perhaps we should remind ourselves of his
well thought of Dvorák and Schoenfield piano concertos (review)
as well.
After a good long silence we pitch into the Shostakovich. This is alert and
spry in the three more animated circus-brusque movements but too sleepy in
the Moderato and Largo. The playing in those faster movements is remarkable
and the spirited results belie expectations raised by a band presumed, because
of its provincial name, to be something less than first rate.
This disc is only to be criticised because of the ill-sorted harnessing of
two such different works. However outright Tchaikovskians must hear this.
Also do not forget another very obscure Tchaikovsky 2 (with an equally good
Tchaikovsky 1): that played by Mikhail Petukhov with the Buenos Aires orchestra
on Pavane ADW7387 (review).
Rob Barnett
see also reviews by David Wright and an earlier review by Rob Barnett
Galloping swooning romantic exuberance. All the frisson of risk and spontaneity of a live concert.