Violin Concerto is in solid, detailed mono; the Cello Concerto in fine stereo. Oistrakh goes to the heart of the violin work, playing with extraordinary tonal magnificence and emotional power. He's matched by Mitropoulos, whose identification with the score is apparent. Rostropovitch is as good in the Cello Concerto, getting excellent support from Ormandy's Philadelphians. Both performances share the white heat of fresh discovery and have stood the test of time to become classic recordings. --Dan Davis  (less)

Chopin Competition at the young age of only 20, Blechacz was awarded not only the rarely given first prize but also all four special prizes for best sonata, mazurka, concerto and polonaise performances. Since then, Blechacz has performed in Europe, Japan and North America to critical acclaim and has already ensured himself a huge following among piano aficionados. These two concertos, cornerstones of every pianist's repertory, are especially central to Rafał Blechacz's introduction to the world-stage. He performed the E minor concerto at the 2005 Chopin Competition and has used both works for numerable memorable debuts around the world. His affinity with Chopin runs deeper than just their shared nationality: Blechacz possesses an exce...  (less)

Washington, DC. This is a perfectly balanced modern interpretation full of natural elasticity, which sheds new lights on the musical character of Beethoven's middle period. Starting with the concerto no. 4 (considered to be one of the central works of the piano concerto literature), Beethoven attributes a greater role to the orchestra in its relationship with the featured instrument, creating concertos that are considered genuine solo instrumental symphonies - the performances here of both concerti are marked by utmost clarity and serene beauty.  (less)

series of concerts. Virtuoso Yefim Bronfman premiered the piano concerto and now commits to disc what is certainly the definitive recording along with two pieces for solo piano.  (less)