Fazıl Say - Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1, Liszt: Sonata in B Minor (2001)
MP3 CBR 320 Kbps ~ 143 MB Label: Teldec Classics Release Date: October 23, 2001
Fazil Say's dynamic pianism has created quite a buzz, and his version of these two warhorses helps explain why. There's little anyone can add to what Richter, Gilels, Argerich, and others have revealed about the Tchaikovsky, but Say's flawless playing, big technique, and fetching sonorities are welcome. He rises to the big moments, of course, but he's best at conveying the poetry of a score whose proponents too often wallow in bombast. Temirkanov and the orchestra, which must have played this piece a few hundred times over the years, match the soloist point for point with freshness. Say's Liszt is on a similar level of accomplishment, but here he's playing a piece that's been a favorite of the greatest recording artists of the past century. Is he better than Cortot, Arrau, Argerich, Richter, and a host of others? Of course not. But instead of dwelling on invidious comparisons, we can appreciate the poetry he brings to the lyric moments and the brazen boldness of his tone in the big ones. --Dan Davis
St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor - Yuri Temirkanov
Fazil Say's dynamic pianism has created quite a buzz, and his version of these two warhorses helps explain why. There's little anyone can add to what Richter, Gilels, Argerich, and others have revealed about the Tchaikovsky, but Say's flawless playing, big technique, and fetching sonorities are welcome. He rises to the big moments, of course, but he's best at conveying the poetry of a score whose proponents too often wallow in bombast. Temirkanov and the orchestra, which must have played this piece a few hundred times over the years, match the soloist point for point with freshness. Say's Liszt is on a similar level of accomplishment, but here he's playing a piece that's been a favorite of the greatest recording artists of the past century. Is he better than Cortot, Arrau, Argerich, Richter, and a host of others? Of course not. But instead of dwelling on invidious comparisons, we can appreciate the poetry he brings to the lyric moments and the brazen boldness of his tone in the big ones. --Dan Davis
St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor - Yuri Temirkanov
Tracklist:
1. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 2:
Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso-Allegro con spirito
2. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 2:
Andantino semplice
3. Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor, Op. 2:
Allegro con fuoco
4. Liszt: Piano Sonata In B Minor: Lento assai
5. Liszt: Piano Sonata In B Minor: Andante sostenuto
