Alexandre Kantorow, the pianist on this recording, began his concert career at age sixteen, performing Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Sinfonia Varsovia.
Performer Biography
Jean-Jacques Kantorow, the conductor, is of Russian extraction and studied violin at the conservatoires of Nice and Paris, winning a first prize for violin playing at age 14.
Recording & Production
This recording was made in November 2014 at the Tapiola Concert Hall in Finland, using Neumann and Schoeps microphones and RME audio electronics.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Even as a touring prodigy known for virtuoso displays, Liszt aspired to become a serious symphonic composer.
Composition History
Liszt's 'Malédiction' concerto, though begun in 1833 and revised in 1840, was forgotten and only published posthumously in 1915.
Compositional Technique
Liszt's Piano Concerto No. 1 features a triangle as an integral part of its motivic structure, an innovation that some contemporaries considered a lapse of taste.
Compositional Technique
The title 'Malédiction' (Curse) was not given by Liszt, but was one of several evocative descriptions he wrote in the manuscript, appearing only above the first motif.
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