Search - Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Frederic Chopin :: The Celebrated New York Concerts, Vol. 3

He attains new neights

Y. Lee | Australia | 06/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This album of live recordings from New York is a remarkable tour de force in every way, and a must-have for every piano enthusiast.



Mordecai Shehori, an Israeli-born pianist based in the USA, attains new heights in Chopin's Scherzo No 1 - when I first put this on my CD player I thought this guy must have 11 or more fingers! The Schubert/Liszt pieces are exquisitely etched, there has not been a more alluring or captivating account of the Soirees de Vienne-Valse Caprice No 6 since Horowitz. Shehori plumbs the musical depths in Beethoven's Sonata in F Major Op 54 - and it becomes clear why Shehori was 1st prize winner of the Beethoven Competition.



The sheer tonal palette at his disposal is extraordinary and probably unrivalled amongst contemporary pianists. But it is not just the beautiful sound he produces which strikes you most, it is the peerless musical intelligence at work in every phrase that keeps you enraptured, that makes for a spell-binding spiritual experience...



In late 2007, I auditioned Volume 2 of Shehori's "Celebrated New York Concerts" upon the recommendation of a pianophile expert and was amazed to discover a pianist who sounds something like a cross between Vladimir Horowitz and Shura Cherkassky (volume 2 featured live recordings of Beethoven Sonata Op 111, Rachmaninov Moments Musicaux Op 16, Kabalevsky Sonata No 3, Liszt Dante Sonata).



This latest volume 3 proves itself a thoroughly worthy addition to the pantheon. Celebrated pianist indeed!





Here's the full track listing for Volume 3 of "Celebrated New York Concerts" by Mordecai Shehori:



1. J.S. Bach Largo from the Harpsichord Concerto in F minor BWV 1056 (arranged for piano solo by Mordecai Shehori)



2-3. Beethoven Sonata in F Major Op 54



4. Chopin Berceuse in D-flat Major Op 57

5. Chopin Polonaise in E-flat minor Op 40 No 1

6. Chopin Scherzo No 1 in B minor Op 20



7. Schubert-Liszt Gretchen am Spinnrade

8. Schubert-Liszt Erlkönig

9. Schubert-Liszt Soirées de Vienne-Valse Caprice No 6



10. Liszt Consolation No 3 in D-flat Major

11. Liszt Mephisto Waltz No 1, After Lenau's Faust



12. Moriz Rosenthal Carnaval de Vienne - Humoresque after themes by J.Strauss



Recording dates and venues (New York City):

Tracks 1,4,6,7,9,10,11 recorded live May 20, 1987, Merkin Concert Hall

2,3 recorded live April 20, 1983, Merkin Concert Hall

5,8 recorded live January 27, 1982, 92nd St Y

12 recorded live May 24, 1979, 92nd St Y"