Another of the five new Living Stereo SACD reissues, and the first time this particular coupling has been offered on disc. The original three-track recordings were made in 1960 and 1961, after Cliburn has made his initial splash with his exciting and top-selling LP of the Tchaikovsky First Piano Concerto. It was also made right after the young pianist’s public appearances as guest soloist with the Chicago Symphony and Reiner.
Both of these concertos are cornerstones of the piano concerto repertory and full of the grand gesture, which both Cliburn and Reiner and his players never fail to deliver 100%. The fire and excitement of the performances makes the works sound not at all overly-familiar. I’m not sure what the complaint of some audiophile reviewers about the “graininess” of the Living Stereo reissues’ sonics is all about. Yes, they may not have quite the transparency and detail of the very best multichannel digital recordings of today, but I’m not hearing “grain” in these gorgeous SACD remasterings.
What I am hearing is the sizeable enhancement provided by the discrete center channel. This is especially useful on piano concertos. First, it places the instrument much more realistically in front of the orchestra and provides a more filled-out sonic image of the center portion of the orchestra. Second, it images the piano as normally-sized and not 40 feet wide as with most piano recordings in stereo.
– John Sunier
