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Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 - Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2

7/5/2019, 7 Tracks, 1:06:30

Haochen Zhang, the pianist who won the Van Cliburn competition in 2009, makes his debut concerto recording for the BIS label. He pairs two contrasting Russian concertos: Tchaikovsky's well-loved, romantic First Piano Concerto and Prokofiev's famously demanding Second, which includes a huge first-movement cadenza. Dima Slobodeniouk conducts the Lahti Symphony Orchestra in accompaniment.

Featuring

  • Dima Slobodeniouk
  • Haochen Zhang
  • Lahti Symphony Orchestra
  • Sergei Prokofiev
  • Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Did you know?

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Composition History

Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto was initially harshly criticized by his friend and mentor Nikolai Rubinstein, a superb pianist and founder of the Moscow Conservatory, who called it 'worthless' and 'unplayable'.

Source: Booklet

Composer Biography

Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto was so difficult that he confessed it 'has turned out to be incredibly difficult and mercilessly tiring'.

Source: Booklet

Recording & Production

The Lahti Symphony Orchestra, featured on this recording, is based in the wooden Sibelius Hall and has won international awards for its recordings.

Source: Booklet

Compositional Technique

Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto features an opening horn call in B flat minor, but then immediately shifts to D flat major for a grand melody that is never heard again in the work.

Source: Booklet

Performer Biography

Haochen Zhang, the pianist on this recording, won the gold medal at the 2009 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.

Source: Booklet

Composition History

The original orchestral score of Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto was destroyed during the Russian Civil War, reportedly burned by new tenants to cook an omelette.

Source: Booklet

Compositional Technique

Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto has an unusual four-movement structure, unlike the typical three movements for a concerto.

Source: Booklet

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Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 / Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 - Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.3 / Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.3
Tchaikovsky & Prokofiev: Piano Concertos
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No.3 In D Minor, Op.30 / Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No.2 In G Minor, Op.16
Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 3; Prokofiev: Concerto No. 3
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 23, TH 55 - Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Major, Op. 26
Rachmaninov / Prokofiev: Piano Concertos
Tchaikovsky & Prokofiev Piano Concertos
Rachmaninov: Complete Piano Concertos
Rachmaninov: Complete Works for Piano and Orchestra
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