Genre: Classical
"Life without Cherkassky is not the same but the memories remain", wrote the renowned British music magazine "Gramophone" about Shura Cherkassky, one of the last of the great romantics among pianists and one of the most important interpreters of Chopin and Liszt of all time. This set of 12 original albums + bonus tracks from the years 1950 to 1961 commemorates this great musician and last representative of the legendary Russian school. Cherkassky was born in Odessa in 1909 and after the emigration of the family to the USA in 1922 studied at the Curtis Institute with the famous pianist and teacher Josef Hofman; debut at eleven years of age, concert tours across all continents – these are the first milestones of a brilliant career, which is documented here with select pearls from his repertoire, including solo literature by Chopin (the complete etudes et al.), piano concertos by Liszt, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, as well as chamber music by Brahms, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Lietolf, or Rachmaninov.
Among his congenial “colleagues” here are Herbert von Karajan, Anatole Fistoulari, Sir Malcolm Sargent, the Berlin Philharmonics, the Philharmonia Orchestra and many more.
Tracklist
CD 1
■ CHOPIN A Complete Recording Of The Études - Volume 1 (1956)
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
12 Études Op. 10
1. No. 1 in C Major / C-Dur 2‘04
2. No. 2 in A Minor / a-Moll 1‘29
3. No. 3 in E Major / E-Dur 4‘31
4. No. 4 in C Sharp Minor / cis-Moll 2‘06
5. No. 5 in G Flat Major / Ges-Dur 1‘45
6. No. 6 in E Flat Major / es-Moll 4‘20
7. No. 7 in C Major / C-Dur 1‘32
8. No. 8 in F Major / F-Dur 2‘31
9. No. 9 in F Minor / f-Moll 2‘21
10. No. 10 in A Flat Major / As-Dur 1‘59
11. No. 11 in E Flat Major / Es-Dur 2‘10
12. No. 12 in C Minor / c-Moll 2‘36
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1953 – 1955
BONUS
13. Fantaisie in F Minor Op. 49 / f-Moll 12‘48
14. Mazurka in D Major Op. 33, 2 / D-Dur 2‘18
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1950
Total Time 44‘32
CD 2
■ CHOPIN A Complete Recording Of The Études - Volume 2 (1956)
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
12 Études Op. 25
1. No. 1 in C Major / C-Dur 2‘25
2. No. 2 in A Minor / a-Moll 1‘25
3. No. 3 in E Major / E-Dur 1‘49
4. No. 4 in C Sharp Minor / cis-Moll 1‘48
5. No. 5 in G Flat Major / Ges-Dur 3‘17
6. No. 6 in E Flat Major / es-Moll 2‘06
7. No. 7 in C Major / C-Dur 4‘38
8. No. 8 in F Major / F-Dur 1‘08
9. No. 9 in F Minor / f-Moll 0‘58
10. No. 10 in A Flat Major / As-Dur 3‘43
11. No. 11 in E Flat Major / Es-Dur 3‘32
12. No. 12 in C Minor / c-Moll 2‘42
Trois nouvelles études
13. No. 1 in F Minor / f-Moll 2‘17
14. No. 2 in D Flat Major / Des-Dur 1‘51
15. No. 3 in A Flat Major / As-Dur 1‘46
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier recorded / aufgenommen 1953 – 1955
BONUS
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
16. Réminiscences de „Don Juan“ S. 418 17‘05
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier recorded / aufgenommen 1953
Total Time 52‘33
CD 3
■ SCHUBERT / SCHUMANN / LISZT (1960)
Franz Schubert (1797 – 1828)
Piano Sonata in A Major D. 959 / Klaviersonate A-Dur
1. I. Allegro 11‘04
2. II. Andantino 6‘49
3. III. Scherzo: Allegro vivace 4‘34
4. IV. Rondo: Allegretto 11‘26
Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856)
5. Fantasiestücke Op. 111 9‘54
I. Molto vivace e appassionato – II. Andantino –
III. Con forza e ben marcato
Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886)
6. Grand Galop Chromatique 4‘02
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier recorded / aufgenommen 1960
■ Chopin / LISZT Fantaisie Impromptu / Liebesträume (1959)
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
7. Fantaisie-Impromptu in C Sharp Minor Op. 66 4‘53
Fantasie Impromptu cis-Moll
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
8. Liebesträume Nr. 3 in A Flat Major / As-Dur 4‘25
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier recorded / aufgenommen 1958
Total Time 57‘09
CD 4
■ TCHAIKOVSKY Konzert für Klavier und Orchester Nr. 1 B-Moll
Op. 23 (1952)
PETER I. TCHAIKOVSKY (1840 – 1893)
Piano Concerto No. 1 in B Flat Minor Op. 23 / Klavierkonzert b-Moll
1. I. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso. Allegro con spirito 20‘08
2. II. Andantino semplice. Prestissimo 7‘19
3. III. Allegro con fuoco 6‘26
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
Berliner Philharmoniker
conductor / Dirigent Leopold Ludwig
recorded / aufgenommen 1951
BONUS
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)
Variations on a Theme by Paganini in A Minor Op. 35
Paganini-Variationen
4. Book / Heft I, Theme and Variations Nos. 1-14 13‘50
Thema und Variationen
5. Book / Heft II, Theme and Variations Nos. 1-14 12‘18
Thema und Variationen
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1953
Total Time 60‘03
CD 5
■ TCHAIKOVSKY Konzert für Klavier und Orchester Nr. 2 G-Dur
Op. 44 (1956)
PETER I. TCHAIKOVSKY (1840 – 1893)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major, Op. 44 / Klavierkonzert G-Dur
1. I. Allegro brillante e molto vivace 19‘57
2. II. Andante non troppo 8‘11
3. III. Allegro con fuoco 7‘11
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
Berliner Philharmoniker
conductor / Dirigent Richard Kraus
recorded / aufgenommen 1955
BONUS
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
Scherzo in A Minor Op. 35 /
Paganini-Variationen
4. Scherzo in E Major Op. 54 / E-Dur 10‘13
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1951
Total Time 45‘35
CD 6
■ LISZT Piano Concerto in E Flat Major (1952)
Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in E Flat Major / Es Dur
1. I. Allegro maestoso 5‘27
2. II. Quasi adagio 4‘52
3. III. Allegro vivace. Allegro animato 4‘21
4. IV. Allegro marziale animato 4‘13
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
Philharmonia Orchestra
conductor / Dirigent Anatole Fistoulari
recorded / aufgenommen 1952
BONUS
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
5. Polonaise in F Sharp Minor Op. 44 / fis-Moll 10‘33
6. Ballade in F Minor Op. 52 / f-Moll 11‘26
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1953
Total Time 40‘54
CD 7
■ SHOSTAKOVICH / PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto (1956)
Sergei Prokofiev (1891 – 1953)
Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor Op. 16 / g-Moll
1. I. Andantino. Allegretto 11‘09
2. II. Scherzo: Vivace 2‘42
3. III. Intermezzo: Allegro moderato 5‘47
4. IV. Finale: Allegro tempestoso 11‘16
Dimitri Shostakovich (1906 – 1975)
Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet and String Orchestra in C Major Op. 35 /
Konzert für Klavier, Trompete und Streichorchester C-Dur
5. I. Allegretto moderato 5‘57
6. II. Lento 7‘39
7. III. Moderato 1‘29
8. IV. Finale: Allegro con brio. Presto 6‘55
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
Harold Jackson trumpet / Trompete
Philharmonia Orchestra
conductor / Dirigent Herbert Menges
recorded / aufgenommen 1954/1955
Total Time 52‘55
CD 8
■ LISZT Rapsodie Hongroise No. 15 & No. 6 (1953)
Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886)
1. Rhapsody No. 15 in A Minor / a-Moll 4‘41
2. Rhapsody No. 6 in D Flat Major / Des-Dur 6‘16
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1953
LISZT „Mazeppa“ / Ungarische Rhapsodien 4 und 5 /
Ungarische Fantasie (1961)
3. „Mazeppa“ Sinfonische Dichtung Nr. 6 15‘11
4. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 5 in E Minor 12‘33
Ungarische Rhapsodie e-Moll
5. Hungarian Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra 15‘46
Ungarische Fantasie für Klavier und Orchester
6. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 4 in E Flat Major 12‘54
Ungarische Rhapsodie Es-Dur
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
Berliner Philharmoniker
conductor / Dirigent Herbert von Karajan
recorded / aufgenommen 1960/1961
Total Time 67‘23
CD 9
■ RACHMANINOV Cello Sonata (1936)
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 – 1943)
Cello Sonata in G Minor Op. 19 / Cellosonate g-Moll
1. I. Lento. Allegro moderato 9‘10
2. II. Allegro scherzando 6‘02
3. III. Andante 5‘03
4. IV. Allegro mosso 9‘25
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
Marcel Hubert cello / Cello
recorded / aufgenommen 1934/35
■ MENDELSSOHN Hunting Song / GODOWSKY Tambourin (1920’s)
5. Hunting Song in A Major Op. 19, 3 / Jägerlied A-Dur 2‘38
(“Songs without Words” / „Lieder ohne Worte“)
Jean Philippe Rameau (1683 – 1764) /
Leopold Godowsky (1870 – 1938) (Arr.)
6. Tambourin 2‘57
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier recorded / aufgenommen 1925
■ MENDELSSOHN Scherzo / Prélude (1920`s)
7. Scherzo in E Minor („Trois Caprices“ Op. 16, 2) / e-Moll 2‘29
8. Prélude in E Minor Op. 35, 1 / e-Moll 2‘34
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier recorded / aufgenommen 1928
BONUS
Henry Charles Litolff (1818 – 1891)
9. Scherzo (Concerto Symphonique No. 4 Op. 102) 7‘15
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier BBC Symphony Orchestra
Conductor / Dirigent Sir Malcolm Sargent recorded / aufgenommen 1959
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
10. Eccosaise in E Flat Major / Es Dur 2‘32
Shura Cherkassky (1909 – 1995)
11. Prélude pathétique 2‘45
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier recorded / aufgenommen 1923 (10)
1928 (11)
Total Time 52‘52
CD 10
■ POPULAR PIANO RECITAL (1957)
Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886)
1. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13 in A Minor 7‘59
Ungarische Rhapsodie a-Moll
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
2. Bagatelle in G Minor Op. 119/1 / g-Moll 2‘12
Franz Liszt (1811 – 1886)
3. Valse de L’Opéra „Faust“ (Gounod) 9‘12
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 – 1921)
4. Le Cygne („Le Carneval des Animaux“) (arr. Godowsky) 2‘44
Anatole Liadov (1855 – 1914)
5. Musical Box Op. 32 2‘25
Abram Chasins (1903 – 1987)
Three Chinese Pictures
6. I. Shanghai Tragedy Op. 7 8‘40
II. Flirtation in a Chinese Garden Op. 5
III. Rush Hour in Hong Kong
Francis Poulenc (1899 – 1963)
7. Toccata (Trois Pièces) 2‘07
Igor Stravinsky (1882 – 1971)
8. Circus Polka (after Schubert) 3‘46
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1955/1956
BONUS
Felix Mendelssohn (1809 – 1847)
9. Capriccio in E Minor Op. 16, 2 / e-Moll 2‘20
Shura Cherkassky piano / Klavier
recorded / aufgenommen 1953
Total Time 41‘27