Grieg - Piano concerto - Solomon / Philharmonia / Menges

Edvard Grieg
Piano concerto op.16
I. Allegro molto moderato 0:00
II. Adagio 12:33
III. Allegro moderato molto e marcato - Andante maestoso 19:03
Solomon Cutner
Philharmonia Orchestra
Herbert Menges
Studio recording, 25-26.IX.1956

[@barneysghost]

We owe a debt of gratitude to the nice person who uploaded this version. Thank you for exercising your excellent taste in music by doing so. Solomon was not the most prominent artist during his day but nevertheless was one with superior technique and poetic demeanor of interpretation. This exquisite piece demonstrated how good he was. Both he, the conductor, and the orchestra collaborated on this piece to give us a memorable performance. I find little to criticize here.

[@pamos1949]

Great fame did come to him, but not until he changed his agent to Emmy Tillett, and by then he was about 48. Of a sudden, he was in demand everywhere and one year played more concerts that any other executive musician. Hugely famous in South Africa, Australia, the U.S. and various venues on the Continent of Europe. At the time he had a massive stroke in late 1956, he had planned a recording of the 2nd and 3rd Chopin sonatas, another tour of the States, and he, Francescatti and Fournier had decided to form a permanent trio, following upon their legendary, and in a sense accidental, concert at the Edinburgh Festival. He lived for another 32 years, suffering more strokes, more paralysis, terrible pain. Such a good and kind man deserved better than this.Gwen, his wife, said it would have been better had he died in 1956, and I think she was right.

[@notaire2]

Dynamische Interpretation dieses romantischen Konzerts mit perfekt artikuliertem Anschlag des Soloklaviers und gut harmonisierten Töne anderer Instrumente. Der geniale Maestro dirigiert das ausgezeichnete Orchester im gut phrasierten Tempo mit völlig effektiver Dynamik. Echt atemberaubend!

[@metteholm4833]

This is profound and masterly! Solomon deserves SO much more attention!

[@meredith218461]

Solomon was one of the most artistically complete pianists of the 20th century. Acute musical sensitivity and intelligence buttressed by an amazing technique.
Nowadays British pianism is amply represented on the world stage by such figures as Stephen Hough, Paul Lewis and Imogen Cooper.

[@tylermenges3733]

Beautiful

[@cattleman6420012000]

I had this recording when I was very young. They had him playing the Schumann Concerto on the other side. Solomon was a wonderful pianist.

[@beejaybath]

Same again. Pale blue album cover, as I remember - in mono too... b4 stereo came along

[@pamos1949]

Right cover colour, but it was in stereo, made about six years after stereo was developed.

[@beejaybath]

Thx for that Philip... just listening to it again right now, as I type this.
Bri

[@robertfrankgill5962]

Same here. Mono me. I don't know which is better. Solomon's Grieg or his Schumann.
Both?

[@johnlewis6382]

I wholeheartedly agree with 'barneysghost' This version has got a kind of quality that shows the superior technique that not many pianists have these days. You can sense the feeling Soloman puts into what he is playing in this. It's almost a magical flowing kind of quality. I've got the LP but with the needle noises it is not as clear as this. ( Another pianist who can really put total emotion into what he is playing is Lang Lang. You can hear this when you listen to him playing 'Liebstraum'). What a brain to write music like this though..........

[@beejaybath]

I feel they could have made the mighty piano a tad mightier at the end of this concerto

[@ulfwernernielsen6708]

It must be one of his last recordings.

[@hansdekorver7365]

26 September 1956 " I don t think I'll ever be able to play the piano again ".( After the recording of the Grieg )

[@beejaybath]

21m.01s, the tiniest fluff. A double hit.