It's wonderful to find a video recording of Rudolf Firkusny playing the Dvorak. For decades he was the great advocate of the piece, playing it often and recording it twice. His 1970's recording with Walter Susskind and the St. Louis Symphony is the best performance of this work which is unfortunately seldom recorded.
Magnificent performance by a master pianist of an all too rarely performed concerto. Appreciate any artist willing to depart or performing the same tired war horses! While not a masterpiece of the order of Beethoven, Brahms or Mozart concerto, this piece has wonderful melodies and is deserving of far more live performances than it gets.
Definitive! I remember seeing Firkusny in the '60s with the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell. A soloist and conductor with that special affinity for music from Czech composers.
I got the same experience - I especially like the fairy-tale character of this movement with its intricately woven, rhythmically very interesting, thematic material
What a great recording! Firkušný si completely smashing it ;) And you can see the president, Václav Havel with his wife Olga, sitting in the lodge, at the beginning of this concert.
The grandioso starting at 15:47... Is Justus Frantz the only one who gets it right by playing it stretched out and grandioso and is EVERYONE ELSE wrong to rush this section? Or
There are several professional recordings now available. 😃 Probably the best one is on EMI by Sviatoslav Richter & the Bavarian State Orchestra conducted by the one and only Carlos Kleiber. Turn the lights down, the volume up and listen to the slow movement. It’s magical !
My theory is that large orchestra management is so much in thrall to "modern, woke shibboleths" that they refuse to play the great works of the past. All must be new, diverse, inclusive and transgressive. thank God for UA-cam.
This took place in 1992 when Fikunsky was 80. (Jiří Bělohlávek conducting Czech Philharmonic in Rudolfinum in Prague during 1992 Prague Spring festival)
Found it out exactly: festival.cz/cz/archiv/6122 It is Jiří Bělohlávek conducting Czech Philharmonic in Rudolfinum in Prague during 1992 Prague Spring festival
@@GregSpradlin I've loved the violin concerto since I was a kid (I'm 80). But I've never quite "gotten" the piano concerto. For me, it doesn't have the sustained inspiration of the violin concerto and certainly not the cello concerto. Maybe it should be filed with the first Piano Quintet (Op. 5) as one of Dvorak's few failures.
The recorded balance between the piano and the orchestra is poor. I have the feeling he is key-mashing a bit, but this is probably an extension of the former point.
He's 80 year old in this performance. That may be a factor, too. (Jiří Bělohlávek conducting Czech Philharmonic in Rudolfinum in Prague during 1992 Prague Spring festival)
![Yuja Wang: Schumann Piano Concerto in A minor Op. 54 [HD]](/img/n.gif)
It's wonderful to find a video recording of Rudolf Firkusny playing the Dvorak. For decades he was the great advocate of the piece, playing it often and recording it twice. His 1970's recording with Walter Susskind and the St. Louis Symphony is the best performance of this work which is unfortunately seldom recorded.
ua-cam.com/video/5QHzrUeHMeU/v-deo.html
so happy even
to hear it only now for the first time !
Sempre grande Firkusny, sentito più volte a Torino ! Pianista grandissimo!
Mvmt 1 00:47
Mvmt 2 18:33
Mvmt 3 26:11
Magnificent performance by a master pianist of an all too rarely performed concerto. Appreciate any artist willing to depart or performing the same tired war horses! While not a masterpiece of the order of Beethoven, Brahms or Mozart concerto, this piece has wonderful melodies and is deserving of far more live performances than it gets.
WHY NOT a masterpiece?
Definitive! I remember seeing Firkusny in the '60s with the Cleveland Orchestra under George Szell. A soloist and conductor with that special affinity for music from Czech composers.
The 2nd movement moves me overwhelmingly. A new discovery.
I got the same experience - I especially like the fairy-tale character of this movement with its intricately woven, rhythmically very interesting, thematic material
What a great recording! Firkušný si completely smashing it ;) And you can see the president, Václav Havel with his wife Olga, sitting in the lodge, at the beginning of this concert.
I wonder whether this little melody in 5:37 reminds some folk song?
Zdá sa že tento urývok je ako folk song.
@@alaalfa8839, myslím si, že ne. Vypadá to na stylizovanou melodii à la lidovou.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE CONCERTS-FOR ME THE PERFORMER IS ONE OF BEST. JOHAN BRUN
Firkusny owns this work. None better.
Thank you so much for posting this wonderful and historic performance. Firkusny was indeed one of the great pianists of the 20th century.
You are welcome!
Great performance of a splendid composition. Thank you.
He performed this with Beecham and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1941: incredible.
The cadenza of the last three minutes...look at those hands go 🤌🤌
Peça sublime . Pianista brilhante.
The grandioso starting at 15:47...
Is Justus Frantz the only one who gets it right by playing it stretched out and grandioso and is EVERYONE ELSE wrong to rush this section?
Or
Years ago, I heard RF play this at Saratoga. Wow!
Excelente interpretación!!!
Wonderful, performance overall...
Une référence absolue!!!
Elegant und souverän, im hohen Alter noch so virtuos!
Interprétation idéale du grand R. Firkusny, loin de la froideur de Richter
Ideal interpretation of the great R. Firkusny, far from Richter's coldness
What a fantastic rendition of this work. A truly mesmerizing performance. Does anybody know if there is a professional recording?
Yes. On RCA.
There are several professional recordings now available. 😃 Probably the best one is on EMI by Sviatoslav Richter & the Bavarian State Orchestra conducted by the one and only Carlos Kleiber.
Turn the lights down, the volume up and listen to the slow movement. It’s magical !
@ 👍 thanks
Why in heaven's name is this wonderful concerto never played?
I don't understand why 🙄
From what I’ve read, it’s because of the piano writing does not really work and has to be changed to accommodate the pianist to play it?
@@sydneydileoalso because this work is like fiendishly difficult
My theory is that large orchestra management is so much in thrall to "modern, woke shibboleths" that they refuse to play the great works of the past. All must be new, diverse, inclusive and transgressive. thank God for UA-cam.
18:33 26:10
I also love the recording of Richter and Kleiber.
18:33
don't know for sure but the conductor looks like Jiri Belohlavek circa 1980s or 1990s given Fikunsky died in 1994
It must be after velvet revolution (1989), because you can see Václav Havel above president flag around 0:20
stephen cuunjieng
It is Jiri Belohlavek.
This took place in 1992 when Fikunsky was 80. (Jiří Bělohlávek conducting Czech Philharmonic in Rudolfinum in Prague during 1992 Prague Spring festival)
@@vesejir thanks
Was the Czech Philharmonic an all-male orchestra at the this point in history?
Not exactly, but mostly, nevertheless it also depended on particular set of players for particular concert
When was this recorded?
Who is the conductor here
Jiří Bělohlávek
Who conducts? What orchestra?
Found it out exactly: festival.cz/cz/archiv/6122
It is Jiří Bělohlávek conducting Czech Philharmonic in Rudolfinum in Prague during 1992 Prague Spring festival
His cello concerto is Op. 104. He was a better composer by then.
His violin concerto is also better. But this is a good concerto, and deserves some attention and respect.
@@GregSpradlin I've loved the violin concerto since I was a kid (I'm 80). But I've never quite "gotten" the piano concerto. For me, it doesn't have the sustained inspiration of the violin concerto and certainly not the cello concerto. Maybe it should be filed with the first Piano Quintet (Op. 5) as one of Dvorak's few failures.
I hate when audiences clap after the first movement but if they did it here I would’ve understood it.
The recorded balance between the piano and the orchestra is poor. I have the feeling he is key-mashing a bit, but this is probably an extension of the former point.
He's 80 year old in this performance. That may be a factor, too. (Jiří Bělohlávek conducting Czech Philharmonic in Rudolfinum in Prague during 1992 Prague Spring festival)