This is the late lamented Dmitry Bashkirov playing the second Brahms concerto at the Marguerite Long Piano Competition in 1955, where he won first prize.
The orchestra is variable and Bashkirov has a few fingerslips, but the intensity of his playing is arresting.
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In today’s world of polished yet faceless competition performances, I wonder if this would make the prize list? If not, then more’s the pity – for all the ‘fingerslips’ this is an enthralling performance.
“The orchestra is variable”. Sorry, but the Principal Horn should have stuck to his career as a sommelier.
It’s a way of horn playing peculiar to the French. The German style has the round, vibrato-less tone. The French style has the idea of a colouristic effect, not a sustained body. And with French music that is OK.
John, I readily admit I know nothing about an acceptable way to play the horn for French pieces. That said, to my untrained ear, the opening sounded like someone petrified of playing the opening solo of an iconic piece of music. I don’t recall ever hearing it played with such shaky intonation and rhythm.
Agreed!
Maybe the player was a substitute, only hearing about his necessity 15 minutes earlier.
Indeed briljant, very expressive.
Almost as good as the definite performance / recording:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR7efRcPcEI
Great pianist. Father-in-law of Daniel Barenboim
First prize wasn’t awarded that year. DB got second prize
Bashkirov tied second prize with Bernard Ringeissen. There was no first prize. Barenboim was only 13 in 1955
DB in this instance just might possibly refer to Dmitry Bashkirov.
Of course it did.
Nice photo on the video.
The solo horn is perfectly competent but just plays with vibrato, still heard in some French and Russian orchestras of the day. Some years ago I heard a visiting Russian orchestra whose white-haired principal horn did the same, an old-fashioned touch.
Did anyone catch the conductor’s name in the opening radio announcement?
Bashkirov brings out, or is closely enough recorded to hear, details I miss in other performances. Everyone will have a favorite. Among mine are Marc-Andre Hamelin, Weissenberg, Hans Richter-Haaser, Solomon, R. Serkin, Rubinstein, Horowitz, Elly Ney/Max Fiedler/BPO, and Edwin Fischer/Furtwaengler.
lA friend insisted the adagio is based, not on “Immer leiser wird mein Schlummer”, but “Emma Leisner wird mein Schlummer”, after the famous singer.
First, I’ve never heard vibrato played on the horn that sounds as though the player was suffering from Parkinson’s of the lip. Second, any list of recommended performances of the Brahms B-flat major concerto which doesn’t include Schnabel/Serkin/Fleisher explains somewhat for me your finding the horn player’s performance idiomatic.
I believe the announcer said that Georges Tzipine is the conductor.
Conductor is Georges Tzipine, who also (I believe) taught conducting at the Paris Conservatoire.
Please let it read Emmi Leisner.
Thanks, Marcellus and clarerieu, for identifying the conductor as Georges Tzipine. I didn’t name Schnabel or Fleisher because I’ve haven’t heard them. I did name Serkin and menat to add Richter/Leinsdorf but forgot. Horn vibrato to me is old-fashioned rather than idiomatic, as I said.