Rimsky-Korsakov: Piano Concerto (1950) Richter/Kondrashin

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
Piano Concerto in C-sharp minor, Op. 30

1. Moderato—Allegretto quasi polacca (0:08)
2. Andante mosso (6:26)
3. Allegro (10:39)

Sviatoslav Richter, pianist
Kirill Kondrashin, conductor
Moscow Youth Orchestra

Recorded on February 17, 1950
Moscow, USSR (Russia)

Balakirev approached Rimsky-Korsakov with the idea of composing a piano concerto, in spite of the fact that the composer himself was not a pianist. Taking his inspiration from Liszt, to whom the concerto is dedicated, the concerto developed as a piece played without pause between the movements. But the similarity ends there, Rimsky-Korsakov built his music around thematic material which was inspired by folk melodies.

There is an Asian flavor to the music, which is one of the concerto's most noticeable features. Composed between 1882 and 1883, the work got its premiere under the baton of Balakirev in St. Petersburg in 1884. Although lesser known in the West due to its length, (it only runs about 15 minutes or so), it is a much better concerto than its obscurity suggests.

Although we have issued this recording before, we have decided to offer it again with new mastering and a much better sound. Even so, the recording does have issues in terms of modulation and microphone usage. These cannot be corrected.

Digital transfer (1995): Melodyia (Russia)
Field acoustic restoration (2023): Paul Howard - The Yucaipa Studio

Видео Rimsky-Korsakov: Piano Concerto (1950) Richter/Kondrashin канала Restoration Archive