Evgeny Kissin - The Legendary 1984 Moscow Concert: Chopin - Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (1995)

Recorded live at the Moscow Conservatory, this is a truly legendary performance. Any experienced veteran could be proud of it; that a boy of 12 should possess the necessary technique, the musical understanding and maturity, and the sustained concentration, is almost beyond belief. Reveling in his own limitless virtuosity, Kissin seems to be playing with--as well as on--the piano with elfin grace and delicacy; yet his command of the keyboard--his warm, singing, powerful, varied tone--are only tools for expressing his spontaneous response to the music. Chopin's piano concertos are both popular favorites, but the first is more melodious, lyrical, and ingratiating. Kissin obviously delights in its dreamy poetry, exuberance, and mischievous wit, but also has an innate feeling for the dark, foreboding melancholy of the somber, dramatic second one, whose many virtuoso passages he dispatches with stunning ease. The rhythms sparkle, the melodies soar, and perhaps most remarkably, the phrasing, liberties, and transitions have a perfectly balanced, natural poise that is rare even among seasoned performers. There are three short Chopin pieces as encores. -- Edith Eisler