180-gram high quality pressing!

Conducted by Eugene Ormandy, pianist Rudolf Serkin with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra perform piano concertos by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy.

That Mendelssohn was a genial composer and piano virtuoso is very evident in his piano concertos. Written in his youth, his first piano concerto is full of élan and power, with grand gestures in the themes and an early masterly command of symphonic development, which is continued – though rather more subtly in the second. This music also testifies to the 22-year-old’s superb command of his favorite instrument. To this day young pianists at music competitions all over the globe emulate such artistry.

Such Olympian efforts were not for Rudolf Serkin, who approached the virtuoso works at the end of the '50s with all the maturity of a 'grandseigneur'. With amazing accuracy and the most delicate touch he unfolds the tightly-knit music, illuminating the flowing melodies and figures with a candid, clear brightness and thereby painting a warm, romantic and colorful landscape with finely- yet firmly-drawn lines. Thanks are due to the wonderful recording technicians whose expertise has made this LP a true masterpiece.

Track Listing
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy
1. Concerto for Piano & Orchestra No. 1
2. Concerto for Piano & Orchestra No. 2