Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Grand Sonata; Children's Album (Mikhail Pletnev)

Information

Composer: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

• Grand Sonata in G major, Op. 37
• Children's Album, 24 easy pieces for piano, Op. 39

Mikhail Pletnev, piano

Date: 1987

Label: Melodiya

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Review

While perhaps not quite the greatest recording of Tchaikovsky's Grand Sonata ever recorded -- there is, after all, the Sviatoslav Richter -- this 1987 recording by Mikhail Pletnev is surely the greatest recording Pletnev ever made as a pianist. Because while some might vote for his stylish Scarlatti Sonatas or his staggering Bach Chaconne, in this recording, Pletnev does more than merely turn in a brilliantly played performance; he realizes the greatness of a piece of music that has been heretofore nearly ignored. Because aside from the Richter, there are no other convincing much less compelling recordings of the work and few listeners know the work at all. But this Pletnev recording from 1987 is unbearably exciting and unbelievably compelling. Pletnev has the technique to surmount Tchaikovsky's extravagant difficulties, but better yet, he expresses the sensitivity and the sentimentality of the melodies and, best of all, he articulates the strength and the integrity of the structures. As coupled here with Pletnev's 1987 recording of Tchaikovsky's endlessly enchanting Children's Album, this disc is surely one of two essential recordings of Tchaikovsky's piano music. Moscow Studio Archives' digital sound is perhaps too resonant but clear enough and certainly quite evocative of place and time.

-- James Leonard

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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (7 May 1840 – 6 November 1893) was a Romantic Russian composer. He was the first Russian composer whose music would make a lasting impression internationally. Tchaikovsky wrote some of the most popular concert and theatrical music in the current classical repertoire, including the ballets Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, the 1812 Overture, his First Piano Concerto, Violin Concerto, the Romeo and Juliet Overture-Fantasy, several symphonies, and the opera Eugene Onegin. Despite his many popular successes, Tchaikovsky's life was punctuated by personal crises and depression.

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Mikhail Pletnev (born 14 April 1957) is a Russian pianist, conductor, and composer. A child prodigy, he entered the Moscow Conservatory at age 13 and quickly gained international acclaim. Pletnev's powerful technique and expressive interpretations earned him top prizes at prestigious competitions, including the Gold Medal at the 1978 Tchaikovsky Competition. He has performed with major orchestras worldwide and recorded a diverse repertoire, especially showcasing works by Russian composers. Beyond his solo career, Pletnev is an accomplished conductor and founder of the Russian National Orchestra.

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