"After his recent surprisingly lacklustre Liszt concertos, Marshev
returns to top form, all guns blazing, with the three piano concertos
(the last two movements of No 3 orchestrated by Taneyev as the Andante
and Finale in B flat/E flat, Op 79), the Concert Fantasia in G and
Tchaikovsky's rarely heard early Allegro in C minor for piano and
strings. The latter dates from his student days (1863–64) and lasts a
mere 2'30". It was only unearthed in 1965 and, while hardly significant
music, is an interesting sign of things to come. David Fanning's
comprehensive essay on the evolution of the six works on these two discs
is a further reason to invest.
But to the main fare. The much-thumbed pages of the B flat minor
Concerto come up as fresh as paint without any startling revelations, a
fine account with all concerned at one with the spirit and the letter.
No 2, however, recorded a year later in August 2002, is quite
outstanding. The first movement's bracing tempo (a true allegro
brillante e molto vivace) allows Marshev to revel in the massive
piano-writing to properly heroic effect, the brittle tone that he
prefers well pitted against the Aalborg players, especially the
enthusiastic brass section. The highlight of the two discs, though, is
the slow movement. Played without Ziloti's cuts, it is one of the most
affecting accounts I've heard (Alexander Zeiher, violin, and Vincent
Stadlmaier, cello, are Marshev's partners).
With the Third Concerto (Marshev's first movement comparable with an
old personal favourite—Gary Graffman and Ormandy) and the Concert
Fantasia handled in a similar vein, all 134 minutes of music come
enthusiastically recommended" — Jeremy Nicholas