This week Stephen Johnson continues his exploration of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concertos with No.3 in D minor Op.30. Cyril Smith performs the piano part, one of the most fiendishly difficult solo parts of all concertos. George Weldon conducts the City of Bimingham Symphony Orchestra.
 
Only a short excerpt is available on the free podcast: subscribers can access the complete work.

This week’s podcast begins on an up-beat note with Irving Berlin’s Blue Skies performed by the violinist Fritz Kreisler and the pianist Carl Lamson in this early, 1927 recording.

What a contrast it makes with our next piece, Bartok’s fittingly-titled ‘Contrasts,’ his only chamber piece to include a wind instrument. Joseph Szigeti is the violinist, Benny Goodman plays the clarinet and Bela Bartok himself plays the piano. There is a little distortion in some places in this 1946 recording.

Prokofiev is next, with a piece he composed while touring California in 1921: his Five Melodies Op 35. Ruth Posselt plays the violin and Allan Sly, the piano.

Bonus track for subscribers only:

• More Prokofiev for our subscribers. The Classical Symphony – one of Prokofiev’s first neo-classical compositions – is performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under Sergiu Celibidache.

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IRVING BERLIN Blue Skies [3:38] Fritz Kreisler, (violin) Carl Lamson (piano) Recorded 1927 BIDDULPH LAB075 BARTOK Contrasts [16:57] Joseph Szigeti (violin) Bela Bartok (piano) Benny Goodman (clarinet) Recorded 1940 BIDDULPH LAB071 Featured Recording RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor Op.30 [34:52] (Free podcast excerpt only) Cyril Smith (piano) City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra George Weldon (conductor) Recorded 1946 APR 5507 PROKOFIEV Five Melodies Op.35 [13:02] Ruth Posselt (violin) Allan Sly (piano) Recorded 1938 WEST HILL RADIO ARCHIVES 6016 Full podcast only PROKOFIEV Classical Symphony in C Op.25 [14:30] Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Sergiu Celibidache (conductor) Recorded 6th July 1946 MUSIC AND ARTS 1079 [top]

RACHMANINOFF Piano Concerto No.3 in D minor Op.30 [34:52] Cyril Smith (piano) City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra George Weldon (conductor) Recorded 1946 APR 5507 [top]