Tchaikovsky: Concert Fantasy, Op. 56

“Leonskaja is a splendid Tchaikovskian and she finds a sympathetic partner in Kurt Masur. Their account of the elusive Second Piano Concerto is very fine, weighty, expansive and compelling. The finale is forceful in it’s exuberance, powerful and exciting… The Third Concerto follows on with equal success, and offers brilliant playing with plenty of zest and ardour from soloist and orchestra alike.” Penguin Guide ***

Today Nikolayeva (1924-1993) is remembered mainly as a Bach player and also as the definitive performer of Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes & Fugues, which were inspired by, and written for, her after the composer heard her play Bach in the 1950 Leipzig Bach competition (which she won). However, to limit Nikolayeva’s reputation to these two composers would be doing her a great disservice. She had a vast repertoire and her recordings include concertos by Bartok, Medtner, Prokofiev Stravinsky and several Soviet composers - including her own concerto, as she was also a composer! Further, she recorded the complete Beethoven sonatas and much other standard repertoire from the 19th century.

This CD presents two recording premieres – the first ever recording of the Tchaikovsky Concert Fantasy Op56 and the first recording of the original version of Tchaikovsky’s 2nd Piano Concerto. At the time of its premiere the work had been deemed too long and until relatively recently the work has always been performed in a drastically cut revision by the pianist Alexander Siloti. Here Nikolayeva reveals that not only was she an intellectual pianist but also a virtuoso who could ‘barnstorm’ with the best of them.