Album

Unlike many budget compilations that offer only selected movements or brief excerpts, Decca's Ultimate Piano Concertos: The Essential Masterpieces presents 10 masterworks in their entirety on five CDs, giving concerto fans a satisfying listening experience. Granted, these reissues are not audiophile recordings, nor are the performers familiar in every case; but for analog recordings from the 1950s to the 1970s, and digital recordings from the 1980s, the sound is quite good, and the performers are never less than fine, though in many instances, they are indeed exceptional. These concertos are at the top of most virtuoso pianists' lists, and though fashions change, all of these concertos have staying power and are regularly played in competitions around the world. Arguably the two most popular concertos are presented on the first disc, with Viktoria Postnikova performing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor and Cristina Ortiz playing Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor; both recordings are digital and offer great presence and clarity of details, as will be found on disc 2 in Jorge Bolet's dynamic renditions of Grieg's Piano Concerto in A minor and Schumann's Piano Concerto in A minor. Disc 3 features the oldest recordings with the murkiest sound, but Clifford Curzon's performances of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major and the Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, "Emperor," are still enjoyable for their great musicality and technical brilliance. Stephen Kovacevich's crystal-clear performances of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, "Elvira Madigan," and the Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major make disc 4 a delight, while Claudio Arrau's recordings on disc 5 of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor and the Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor are moving classics that fully deserve inclusion and have excellent sound for their age. This box set is a treasure trove that many will find enriching, and despite its few flaws, it will pay dividends far beyond its cost-cutter price.

© Blair Sanderson, All Music Guide

CD 1 of 5
Pyotr Ilich Tchaikovsky Composer Piano Concerto No.1 in Bb-, Op.23 Work 38:21 Viktoria Postnikova Piano, Vienna Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky Conductor
1	1.Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso	22:51			$3.99
2	2.Andantino semplice	8:08			$1.49
3	3.Allegro con fuoco	7:22			$1.49
Sergey Vasilyevich Rachmaninov Composer Piano Concerto No.2 in C-, Op.18 Work 33:13 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Cristina Ortiz Piano, Moshe Atzmon Conductor
4	1.Moderato	10:32			$1.99
5	2.Adagio sostenuto	10:57			$1.99
6	3.Allegro scherzando	11:44			$1.99
CD 2 of 5
Edvard Grieg Composer Piano Concerto in A-, Op.16 Work 31:41 Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly Conductor, Jorge Bolet Piano
1	1.Allegro molto moderato	13:33			$2.49
2	2.Adagio	6:38			$0.99
3	3.Allegro marcato	11:30			$1.99
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Composer Rondo capriccioso in E, Op.14 Work Jorge Bolet Piano
4	Rondo capriccioso in E, Op.14	6:50			$0.99
Robert Alexander Schumann Composer Piano Concerto in A-, Op.54 Work 32:45 Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Riccardo Chailly Conductor, Jorge Bolet Piano
5	1.Allegro affettuoso. Andante espressivo. Allegro	15:45			$2.49
6	2.Intermezzo: Andante grazioso	5:16			$0.99
7	3.Allegro vivace	11:44			$1.99
CD 3 of 5
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Concerto No.4 in G, Op.58 Work 33:43 Clifford Curzon Piano, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Hans Knappertsbusch Conductor
1	1.Allegro moderato	18:42			$2.99
2	2.Andante con moto	5:03			$0.99
3	3.Rondo: Vivace	9:58			$1.49
Ludwig van Beethoven Composer Piano Concerto No.5 in Eb, Op.73 ('Emperor') Work 38:54 Clifford Curzon Piano, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Hans Knappertsbusch Conductor
4	1.Allegro	19:59			$3.49
5	2.Adagio un poco mosso	8:16			$1.49
6	3.Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo	10:39			$1.99
CD 4 of 5
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Piano Concerto No.21 in C, K.467 ('Elvira Madigan') Work 27:40 London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Stephen Kovacevich Piano, Sir Colin Davis Conductor
1	1.Allegro maestoso	13:30			$2.49
2	2.Andante ('Theme from Elvira Madigan')	7:43			$1.49
3	3.Allegro vivace assai	6:27			$0.99
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Composer Piano Concerto No.25 in C, K.503 Work 31:21 London Symphony Orchestra Orchestra, Stephen Kovacevich Piano, Sir Colin Davis Conductor
4	1.Allegro maestoso	14:53			$2.49
5	2.Andante	7:17			$1.49
6	3.Allegretto	9:11			$1.49
CD 5 of 5
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Piano Concerto No.1 in E-, Op.11 Work 42:18 London Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Claudio Arrau Piano, Eliahu Inbal Conductor
1	1.Allegro maestoso e risoluto	20:44			$3.49
2	2.Romanze: Larghetto	11:18			$1.99
3	3.Rondo: Vivace	10:16			$1.99
Frédéric François Chopin Composer Piano Concerto No.2 in F-, Op.21 Work 34:05 London Philharmonic Orchestra Orchestra, Claudio Arrau Piano, Eliahu Inbal Conductor
4	1.Allegro maestoso	14:41			$2.49
5	2.Larghetto	10:06			$1.99
6	3.Allegro vivace	9:18			$1.49