Vladimir Ashkenazy - Mozart- Piano Concerto No. 20, Piano Concerto No. 6 (1968/2023) [Official Digital Download]

The two stereo Beethoven cycles, those of the Symphonies (1965–70) and the Piano Concertos (with Wilhelm Backhaus, 1958–59), form the core of this edition of the complete Decca recordings of Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt (1900–1973). It is distinguished by the Wiener Philharmoniker’s unique transparency of sound allied to a firm pulse and rhythmic drive which characterized Schmidt-Isserstedt’s conducting. Several of the recordings were produced by Erik Smith, the conductor’s son.

Though it appears that he never stood in front of the Vienna Philharmonic in a concert, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt achieved a remarkable rapport with a famously headstrong group of musicians when he conducted them in two stereo Beethoven cycles for Decca. In 1958–59 they recorded the piano concertos with Wilhelm Backhaus, as a stereo remake for the pianist’s mono Decca cycle with the Vienna Philharmonic and Clemens Krauss. Backhaus was in his late 70s by then, conveying a lifetime’s wisdom through his fingers while playing with apparently undimmed vitality.

TRACKLIST

1. Vladimir Ashkenazy - I. Allegro
2. Vladimir Ashkenazy - II. Romance
3. Vladimir Ashkenazy - III. Rondo. Allegro assai
4. Vladimir Ashkenazy - I. Allegro aperto
5. Vladimir Ashkenazy - II. Andante un poco adagio
6. Vladimir Ashkenazy - III. Rondeau. Allegro



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