Most "un-virtuosic" recording of Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto

[bradley]

Hey

I've been auditiong this piece alot, trying to perform it somewhere, but to no avail. I recently, however, saw a performance of it and was DISGUSTED at what the performer did  She completely murdered it (I'm sure I actually saw the piano bleeding at one stage), I mean she even stood up for the 1st chord.

So I've decided to go to the other extreme and redo my interpretation. I want to sound completely different. Which recording is in your opinion "un-virtuosic", in the sense that the tempi are not excessively fast, no thumping, MUSICAL playing. The best I can come up with is the Richter recording on DGG...

Thanks
Bradley

[dnephi]

Most musical and best performance by far is the Horowitz charity  concert for the war with Toscanini.  They played for free.

Incredible music.  Yet very virtuosic, I might add.

[kempff1234]

I don't know if i should call it "un-virtuosic" but I really do enjoy Arthur Rubinstein's recordings of this concerto. Ofcourse there is Richter on the other extreme which i enjoy as well.

[practicingnow]

Lazar Berman's recording with Von Karajan is beautiful, poetic, and is only necessarily vituosic in places where the music calls for it.  That recording was released on DG.  After years of hearing this piece, I still think that version is the most sensitive and the best overall...

The Horowitz/Toscanini is electric, but probably not what you're looking for...

[avetma]

Ivo Pogorelich performance is most musical and cleanest one I have ever heard.

[pianistimo]

well.  van cliburn's is hard to beat.  did barry douglas ever do the tchaikovsky pc? imagine after winning the tchaikovsky competition in 1985, he'd have to.  i would have gone to that - the way he played 'pics.'

[kaiwin]

I have to ask, is it Judith Cohen? search her name, i think i talked about her and her playing 

[apion]

well.  van cliburn's is hard to beat.  did barry douglas ever do the tchaikovsky pc? imagine after winning the tchaikovsky competition in 1985, he'd have to.  i would have gone to that - the way he played 'pics.'

Yep, Van Cliburn.

But honestly, I cannot fathom why a person would waste his/her time with this inherently unvirtuosic amalgamation of discursive noise.

There are like 500 piano concertos that are better than this.

Sorry, that's my opinion. 

[brewtality]

For "un-virtuosic" playing, you should hear Horowitz/Szell. After having heard his other versions I couldn't believe it was the same pianist. So slow and romantic. Especially towards the end of the third movement, he shows us that the octaves don't need to be thumped out, but that they can be played soulfully. Beautiful. 

[bradley]

Lazar Berman's recording with Von Karajan is beautiful, poetic, and is only necessarily vituosic in places where the music calls for it.  That recording was released on DG.  After years of hearing this piece, I still think that version is the most sensitive and the best overall...

I'm a huge fan or Berman, but I never knew he recorded the Tchaik though! Think I should investigate

[arensky]

Richter with Karajan. It seems deliberately slow and anti-virtuostic although brilliant, Richter always is, even when I don't like his interpretation.

[maxy]

For "un-virtuosic" playing, you should hear Horowitz/Szell. After having heard his other versions I couldn't believe it was the same pianist. So slow and romantic. Especially towards the end of the third movement, he shows us that the octaves don't need to be thumped out, but that they can be played soulfully. Beautiful. 

yup, gets my vote too!     The poetic quality of the octaves made me cry.   

the dramatic slow-downs were just fabulous.