The second volume of Noel Mewton-Wood’s set of recordings of the concertante works for piano by Tchaikovsky contains this recording from 1952 of the second concerto. In those days it was usual to perform Alexander Siloti’s (or Ziloti) edition which cuts Tchaikovsky’s work, mainly in the middle movement where the piano engages in lengthy dialogue with cello and violin soloists. Some of Siloti’s revisions to both the first and second concertos were made with Tchaikovsky’s consent; nowadays the listener is able to judge whether Tchaikovsky was well-advised or not.
Mewton-Wood plays with his customary vigour and fluidity, and his dynamic range is breath-taking from unforced loud to heart-stopping quiet. As in the other of Mewton-Wood’s recordings reviewed recently, the playing is wonderfully live and alive.
Dedicated to Nikolai Rubinstein despite his description of the first as banal, though he later changed his mind, Rubinstein was sadly to die before the first performance in New York in 1881. The first movement is big, brilliant and grand, Mewton-Wood rising to the challenge most successfully, and lasts a little over half of the length of the whole work. The second movement leaves enough for Mewton-Wood to work on its lyricism. The last movement opens with rib-tickling energy and this allegro con fuoco ends with a typically customary Tchaikovskian big finish.
Despite the cuts Siloti made this recording is well worth auditioning for a further example of Mewton-Wood’s art. The Winterthur orchestra plays enthusiastically though in the parts of the first movement it does sound starved of upper string players. Andrew Rose has mastered the recording with his customary care and talent for this release, the piano sound most notably successful in the transfer. Recently Pristine Audio started offering an alternate choice of mastering which includes ambient stereo, and I was provided with both the standard mono and the ambient stereo versions for audition. This latter is particularly successful for those who listen through headphones, and even listening via loudspeakers the difference is noticeable. Prospective purchasers are offered both the choice of mastering and lengthy samples of each on Pristine Audio’s website. This issue is highly recommended as a valuable addition to the record of Mewton-Wood artistry.
— Peter Joelson
