Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3, Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3

Van Cliburn (1934-2013) became a national hero by spectacularly winning the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958, and capturing the imagination of the international music world; he receiving a ticker-tape parade in NYC on his return. This historic CD recording of the thrilling, passionate, virtuoso-challenging Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 3 was made shortly after his return, with the orchestra led by Kiril Kondrashin, the Moscow Maestro who had conducted with Cliburn at the Competition. The 1st mvmt’s plaintive theme is lushly developed and the mvmt’s cadenza is resplendent. The Intermezzo is romantic, rhapsodic and sumptuous with a scherzo-like interlude based on the 1st mvmt theme. The brilliant, effervescent finale is passionate, ending in triumph. Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 displays his “stark contrasts of style, mood and texture” and incorporates “soulful lyricism, grotesque fantasy and a Russian national flavor.” The 1st mvmt begins with serenity and lyricism, but the 2nd theme becomes macabre. The 2nd mvmt’s charming theme undergoes five variations, “incorporating the grotesque, the virtuosic, the sombre,” and a burlesqued march. The 3rd mvmt’s central section is “built on a passionate, youthful theme . . . interrupted by a droll interlude.” The mvmt ends with brilliant piano writing