Tchaikovsky, P.I.: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 3

Featuring

Emil Tabakov
Idil Biret
Bilkent Symphony Orchestra
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

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Performer Biography

Idil Biret, the pianist on this recording, began playing piano at age three and graduated from the Paris Conservatoire at fifteen with three first prizes.

Composer Biography

Tchaikovsky's career as a full-time composer was made possible by financial assistance from Nadezhda von Meck, a rich widow who supported him without ever meeting him face to face.

Composition History

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 was initially condemned as "worthless and unplayable" by Nikolay Rubinstein, director of the Moscow Conservatory, before its successful premiere by Hans von Bülow in Boston.

Critical Reception

Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 has aroused popular enthusiasm, leading to occasional critical disdain, partly due to its wide popularity and the lesser concertos it inspired.

Composer Biography

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, the composer, initially studied at the School of Jurisprudence and worked in the Ministry of Justice, with music as a secondary occupation.

Performer Biography

Idil Biret has recorded over eighty albums, including the first recordings of Liszt's transcriptions of Beethoven's Nine Symphonies and the complete piano works of Brahms, Chopin, and Rachmaninov.

Recording & Production

The Idil Biret Archive (IBA) is a project to collect and release as many of Idil Biret's recordings as possible, including old recordings no longer commercially available and new ones.