Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Felix/Schubert, Franz/Schumann, Robert: Shura Cherkassky plays... (BBC Legends Audio CD)

Shura Cherkassky (piano)
Recorded: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, 1 November 1970


This is the seventh Shura Cherkassky release to appear on BBC Legends and follows a succession of very well reviewed and much sought after broadcasts made by this wonderfully individual pianist.

The recital from London's Queen Elizabeth Hall on 1 November 1970 in atmospheric stereo features a number of works which are very rare for this artist such as the Schubert Sonata D.959 which he recorded for the World Record Club in 1960 and has never been issued since.

The Tchaikovsky arr: Rachmaninov: Cradle Song in A flat minor Op. 16 No.1 is new to Cherkassky's discography.

Others such as Mendelssohn's Andante and Rondo Capriccioso in E Op.14, and Schumann arr. Tausig: Der Contrabandiste are rare additions to his recorded legacy.

Beautiful remastering by Paul Baily.

“A more perfect rendition of Mendelssohn's Andante and Rondo capriccioso you are unlikely ever to hear, deftly executed with a bewitching feather-light delicacy. Carnaval, too, for all its idiosyncratic moments, offers a masterclass in colouring and touch - who else can produce such a ravishing pianissimo or make an apparent crescendo and decrescendo on a single note?”
Gramophone Magazine, August 2009

“…Cherkassky's wonderful tone and sensitivity to colour, nuance and atmosphere makes the Schubert the high point of the disc.”
BBC Music Magazine, September 2009