Search - Tchaikovsky, Hoteev, Fedoseyev :: 4 Piano Concerti / Bohemian Melodies / Allegro C

You can almost hear the sound of axes grinding behind this music. If you have the patience to read all four booklets accompanying this three-disc set, you will learn that many villains have conspired to prevent us from hearing Tchaikovsky's music as he wrote it (including his faithful pupil Sergei Taneyev, who orchestrated the last two movements of the Third Piano Concerto.) As for the "Unabridged Original Version" offered here, careful listening and reading reveal that three small passages have been "restored" to the First and Second Concertos--nothing of any consequence. The reason they last so long (40 minutes for the First, 52 and a half for the Second) is that Hoteev feels virtuosity doesn't suit Tchaikovsky's music. His slow tempos do change the emphasis of the music toward lyricism, although many listeners may find they make the concertos interminable. You can debate forever Tchaikovsky's contribution to Bohemian Melodies, which first appeared as the work of Sophie Menter. (Liszt also helped out with this piece; another version is included in Hyperion's Liszt Edition.) Its main function here is to demonstrate that Hoteev can play with animation and dash when he chooses to. The set concludes with a purported 1890 cylinder recording of the voices of several Russian musicians, including Tchaikovsky--maybe, although it does come with suspiciously complete details, including identification of every voice (how did they know?) and a transcription and translation. --Leslie Gerber