Title : Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: First Piano Concertos
Author : Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Release Date : 20030715
Binding : Audio CD
Regular Price : $16.98
Amazon.com Price : $13.99
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Editorial Reviews : Barely out of his teens on this recording, Lang Lang demonstrates plenty of virtuoso finger dexterity, but also places his personal stamp on the music. In the Tchaikovsky, a barn-burner of a piece that some pianists use to show how fast and loud they can play, Lang stresses the layers of intimacy alongside its more extroverted passages, which he plays with plenty of pianistic pyrotechnics. If his first movement seems disjointed, more a fantasia than a cohesive entity, he makes a virtue out of necessity through sharp accents that highlight its episodic character. Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony's brilliantly played accompaniments are in synch with Lang's approach. The Mendelssohn is a work that replaces bombast with elegant sparkle well suited to Lang's strengths. Lang is in his element here, sprinkling notes without breaking a sweat. There's stiff competition from classic performances by Argerich and Cliburn among many others in the Tchaikovsky, and Serkin, Schiff, and Thibaudet in the Mendelssohn, but Lang is well worth hearing. --Dan Davis
Buyer Reviews : Fans of Lang Lang will undoubtedly be pleased with this CD, his Deutsche Grammophon debut recording. But others should be intrigued too, since it is an excellent demonstration of his dramatic, often intense, keyboard pyrotechnics and subtle, lyrical playing. In Lang Lang's hands, both concerti are given splendid performances which should be regarded as first rank (though I have a stronger preference for Thibaudet's rhapsodic playing of the Mendelssohn concerto in his recent Decca recording.). His performance of the 1st Tchaikovsky piano concerto is especially noteworthy, since it is replete with keyboard pyrotechnics and subtle, lyrical playing, especially in the second movement. In both works he is well supported by Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, who are sympathetic accompanists to Lang's playing. Deutsche Grammophon's sound engineers have done a fine job creating a well balanced recording. Again, while this is not my primary recommendation for either concerti, this CD is still worth acquiring for Lang Lang's superb, often spellbinding, playing.
