Description
FHR Remasters
Released as a 5CD box set and on all digital platforms: 15 November 2024
SHURA CHERKASSKY piano
The Ambassador Auditorium Recitals Pasadena, California, USA, 1981–1989
All recordings are first releases
Press Quotes
‘This latest 5 CD set captures the artist as he approaches the twilight of his career, but the old magic is there and very evident for all to hear. The pianist’s tone is captured well… In short, this is a very rewarding issue.’ (Recommended – MusicWeb International)
‘A very successful project!’ (Opus Klassiek)
‘… with one of the best and most spontaneous performances of Schumann’s Carnaval. Cherkassy’s continuous, ie non-stop playing throughout the cycle has an uncommonly bold kind of sophistication and special charm that immediately grabs the listener’s attention. And his almost improvised playing leads to a gripping unpredictability.’ (♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Pizzicato)
‘This wonderful 5 CD set has just been released by First Hand Records. It captures the magic of Shura Cherkassky over four recitals he gave in California in the 1980s. He’s a pianist I greatly admire. It’s a must-have collection for pianophiles.’ (Stephen Greenbank, a ‘2024 Recording of the Year’ – MusicWeb International)
‘Arguably the most instantly recognisable of all great pianists. Supreme master in the Gounod-Liszt Faust Waltz… At his greatest he was beyond compare’ (Bryce Morrison, Art of Pianists (greatmusicians.co.uk)
‘Looking for a pianophile’s Christmas Holidays gift? This is it.’ (***** Audiophile Audition)
‘In short, this nicely presented quintet of discs (they fit into a cardboard sleeve with a spine barely wider than a regular jewel case) is a curate’s egg: Cherkassky at his most capricious… always able to conjure up magical and, yes, memorable performances at the toss of a coin’ (Gramophone)
‘Autumnal never-before-released Cherkassky recitals show few signs of fatigue – a panache-packed, witty but clarity-conscious Listz-Gounod Waltz from the opera Faust, one of the highlights of the whole set – a perfect example of Cherkassky’s art …the presentation is handsome and accomplished… Cherkassky’s admirers will want this set and will know that no two performances by him are ever quite the same.’ (Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International)
‘The pianist Shura Cherkassky (1909-1995) not only looked like a circus director, he also played like one: exuberantly showing off his own virtuosity, flirting with effects, and brilliantly good’ (***** rbbKultur, Radio 3 [Berlin-Brandenburg Radio])
‘Throughout, we admire a superlative technique that sometimes grips, sometimes embraces… we bow down before this dashing 70-year old and a decidedly irresistible pianist.’ (ꭅꭅꭅꭅꭅ Diapason Magazine)
‘…there are gems like a Chopin Barcarolle… his narrative conception captivates from start to finish. … Also not to be forgotten is the chic of the recital’s encores, between a haughty Tango by Albéniz, an intoxicating and overflowing Polka de WR by Rachmaninov and October from Tchaikovsky ‘s Seasons played in a state of weightlessness. What a lesson in singing!… Tchaikovsky’s Sonata , which very few performers programmed at that time, is an epic adventure: the expressive power is all the more astonishing because the use of the sustain pedal is minimal… Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 is a “must”! Violently expressive, as if improvised, it becomes a sort of caprice transcribed by an ensemble of imaginary violins.’ (ResMusica)
‘This album is a treasure’ (American Record Guide)
29 APRIL 1981
CD1 [74:09]
Frédéric CHOPIN (1810–1849)
01. Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23
02. Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9, No. 2
03. Nocturne No. 15 in F minor, Op. 55, No. 1
04–05. Andante spianato et Grande Polonaise brillante in E flat major, Op. 22
Interval
06. Fantaisie in F minor, Op. 49
07. Impromptu No. 2 in F sharp major, Op. 36
08. Fantaisie-impromptu in C sharp minor, Op. 66
09. Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31
Encores:
10. Nocturne No. 3 in B major, Op. 9, No. 3
11. Waltz No. 5 in A flat major, Op. 42, ‘Grande valse’
13 JANUARY 1982
CD2 [71:06]
Jean-Baptiste LULLY (1632–1687)
01–05. Suite de Pièces
Felix MENDELSSOHN (1809–1847)
06. Scherzo a Capriccio in F sharp minor, Op. 5
Pyotr Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY (1840–1893)
07–10. Grand Sonata in G major, Op. 37
Interval
Frédéric CHOPIN
11. Polonaise No. 7 in A flat major, Op. 61, ‘Polonaise-fantaisie’
12. Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52
CD3 [72:19]
Józef (Josef) HOFMANN (1876–1957)
Charakterskizzen, Op. 40 (1908)
01. No. 4. Kaleidoskop
Franz LISZT (1811–1886)
02. Réminiscences de Don Juan, S418 (1841)
Encores:
Shura CHERKASSKY (1909–1995)
03. Prélude pathétique (1922)
Frédéric CHOPIN
04. Waltz No. 5 in A flat major, Op. 42, ‘Grande valse’ (1840)
Recorded 18 NOVEMBER 1987
César FRANCK (1822–1890)
05–07. Prélude, Choral et Fugue, M. 21 (1884)
Robert SCHUMANN (1810–1856)
08–28. Carnaval, Op. 9 (1834–35)
Interval
CD4 [53:26]
Sergey RACHMANINOV (1873–1943)
01. Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42 (1931)
Józef (Josef) HOFMANN
Charakterskizzen, Op. 40 (1908)
02. No. 4. Kaleidoskop
Frédéric CHOPIN
03. Nocturne No. 15 in F minor, Op. 55, No. 1 (1844)
04. Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60 (1846)
Franz LISZT
05. Valse de l’opéra Faust de Gounod, S407/R166 (1861)
Encores:
Isaac ALBÉNIZ (1860–1909)
España, Op. 165 (1890)
06. II. Tango (arr. 1921 Leopold GODOWSKY (1870–1938))
RACHMANINOV
07. Polka de W.R.
(arr. of Lachtäubchen, Scherzpolka, Op. 303 by Franz BEHR, 1837–1898)
Pyotr Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY
The Seasons, Op. 37a (1876)
08. No. 10. October: Autumn Song
Recorded 2 NOVEMBER 1989
CD5 [46:05]
George Frideric HANDEL (1685–1759)
01. Keyboard Suite No. 5 in E Major, HWV 430 (1720): IV. Air and Variations, ‘The Harmonious Blacksmith’
Robert SCHUMANN
Fantasy in C major, Op. 17 (1838)
02. III. Langsam getragen. Durchweg leise zu halten
Interval
Pyotr Il’yich TCHAIKOVSKY
06 Morceaux, Op. 19 (1873)
03. VI. Thème original et variations
Sergey RACHMANINOV
7 Morceaux de salon, Op. 10 (1894)
04. III. Barcarolle in G minor
Franz LISZT
05. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 in C sharp minor, S244/R106 (1847)
Encores:
Isaac ALBÉNIZ
España, Op. 165 (1890)
06. II. Tango (arr. 1921 Leopold GODOWSKY (1870–1938))
Frédéric CHOPIN
07. Tarentelle in A flat major, Op. 43 (1841)
Transferred by
Geoff Willard from open reel tapes (CD1–4)
Nathan Coy from DAT (CD5)
Remastered by
John Croft (Chiaro Audio)
John Croft and David Murphy (FHR) (CD2 and CD3, tracks 1–4)
Booklet notes by Jonathan Summers
Recording released with approval from the estate of Shura Cherkassky