Shostakovich: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2; Shchedrin: Piano Concerto No.5

I love it when the Russians come together and the combination of Matsuev, Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra is sensational. There is true spirit and passion in these performances and the Shostakovich Piano Concerto No 2 brings a tear to my eye. Gorgeous playing.

the two Shostakovich piano concertos are light-hearted, especially the Second, which was written for Maxim, the composer's son. Their rollicking sections verge on the circus-like film and ballet music that Shostakovich was so adept at, but he was no Kabalevsky, and the slower parts reveal a serious composer's reflective, melancholy side. Because they intentionally skirt emotional depth, at least most of the time, any enthusiastic reading with plenty of energy fits the bill. Owing any of the existing recordings from Kissin, Argerich, or Bronfman (in a terrific pairing with the Piano Quintet on Sony) fits the bill. No one is likely to find hidden depths that have been overlooked.the added ingredient here is Denis Matsuev's brilliant technique. he has become a favorite partner of Gergiev's, and even in the landscape of impressive Russian virtuosos, his Horowitz-like bravura s special. Every measure of these scores overflows with power, so the real question is whether you want to be overwhelmed at the expense if lightness and delicacy. From the bad reviews I came across, not every critic did. As always in Shostakovich, Gergiev wants to prove that the music must be taken seriously, and that can lead to the kind of earnestness that kills all the fun. I don't think that fun comes to mind here, as it does with Bronfman and Salonen. But the slow movement of Cto. no. 1 takes us into a compelling seriousness, if ou are willing to go there. also, the scoring for solo trumpet and strings allows the Mariinsky's world-class first trumpet to strut his stuff in the fast passages. The mixture of seriousness and a diamond edge is unusual but riveting. As far as recorded sound goes, the piano is so closely miked that it tends to turn hard, but Matsuev's flashiness certainly comes through.Gergiev has made a crusade or performing and recording the music of Shchedrin, a composer who tended to be looked down upon in the West because he seemed to extend the reactionary policies of soviet anti-modernism. Frankly, I haven't gen where Gergiev wants to lead. Piano Cto. #6, which is in the usual fast-slow-very fast pattern that goes back to Mozart and Beethoven, was totally unknown to me. By collectivizing music and forming composers into a union, the Soviet system did immeasurable harm to creative inspiration, but Prokofiev and Shostakovich rose above the difficulties. This concerto by Shchedrin is clever and appealing but i couldn't escape the impression that it was Prokofiev lite. It has appealing gestures but feels aimless and without much meaning in the end. Perhaps you have to be a Russian to believe in such derivative music, but Matsuev offers a brilliant display of moto perpetuo playing in the finale.

I have a couple of other recordings of the Shostakovich piano concertos, but I keep liking the pieces more and more and thought this would make a nice addition to my music library. Not so much. Matsuev is a wonderful pianist, but the performances here are spotty; wonderful in places and kind of so-so in others. I wish I could better articulate why; I'm not sure, but I think it's largely Gergiev's lackluster conducting. I'll stick with my favorite recording of these works, with Hamelin and the BBC Scottish Symphony, conducted by Andrew Litton (who is rapidly becoming one of my favorite conductors)  Shostakovich: Piano Concertos . In that regard, the Shchedrin concerto on the Hamelin/Litton recording is No. 2, which is vastly preferable to the No. 5 on the Matsuev/Gergiev recording. Maybe it's just me, but I find No. 5 to be almost unbearable to listen to.

Per me Denis Matsuev è uno dei giovani pianisti più interessanti nel repertorio russo, L'abbinamento con il grande Valery Gergiev produce un CD di valore. Qualità del suono ottimale.

Loved the piano concerto no. 2 on hearing it so much on Classic fm and was diretected to buy it from Amazon. Very pleased I did.

Schostakowitsch hatte ich beflissentlich aus meiner Klassik rausgelassen.BIs in Klassikradio der 2te Satz des Klavierkonzerts Nr 2 F-Dur, Op. 102 endlich die ewigen Wagner-Wiederholungen unterbrach (die einem die Lust auf und Freude über Wagner austrieben).Es hat mich gereizt bei Amazon zwei preisgünstige Versionen zu finden - die eine ist die Mariinsky CD mit Denis Matsuev. Der spielt den Schostakowitsch "russisch" - zunächst befremdlich, aber stimmig - fast marschmäßig knallt er das Klavierkonzert hin - es entsteht ein komlettes, stimmiges Bild. 1:0 für Matsuev.Dies andere - von NAXOS publiziert - mit Michael Houstoun und dem New Zealand Symphony-Orchestra ist stark romantisierend, klingt fast so als würde Houstoun die "Pastorale" interpretieren. "Houstoun, wir haben ein Problem" - denn so bleibt Schostakowitsch nichtssagend, für romantisch zu chaotisch, Schostakowitsch für mich ohne OrientierungWer also Schostakowitsch ins Ohr nehmen will - da kann ich nur die Mariinsky CD mit Denis Matsuev und gutem Gewissen empfehlen!

ショスターコヴィチのピアノ協奏曲は、３枚ほど持っていますが、此のゲルギエフの作品はは一番良いと思います。ソリストはよく知りませんが、上手く弾いています。ロシア語と英語の解説書が付いていますが、シチェドリンを表記する英語では、ロシア語ではどう読んでもシュドリンとしか読めません。正確な読み方を誰か教えて下さい。

Ich habe mich mit wachsendem Alter der Musik von Schostskowitsch immer mehr zugewand. Anfangs die Sinfonien, jetzt die Klavierkonzerte, mit Trompete. Die Musik ist unheimlich einfalllsreich und teils mit verstecktem Humor und politischen Botschaften. Mit meisuerhaften Interpreten aufgenommen, kann ich die Aufnahme sehr empfehlen.