Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978) - Complete Piano Concertos

[pianoconcerto]

Capriccio will soon reissue the old Balkanton recordings of Vladigerov's piano concertos 1-5.  Concertos 2 and 5 have never been out on CD, so this is great news.  AmazonUK gives a release date of 4 Sept. 2020 for this 2CD set, the cover of which can now be seen on soundcloud, where you can also hear the third movement of Concerto 3.

[Alan Howe]

Just putting this thread on hold while we check its suitability for discussion here.

[Alan Howe]

We've decided that PCs 1-3 are suitable for discussion here, but not PCs 4 or 5, hence the amended thread title.

Please note:

1. Please restrict yourselves to discussion of PCs 1-3 in this thread. Other works by the composer will be assessed for suitability on a case by case basis - see note 2, below.

2. Please would all instances of works composed post-1918 be submitted to the moderators for their consideration before posting, as per UC's guidelines.

[Gareth Vaughan]

I think you are quite right, Alan. I was going to say that I am familiar with these concertos (and enjoy them) but that, while 1, 2 & 3 would just about squeeze into our remit, I doubted whether 4 and 5 were appropriate. They are very colourful works, nicely orchestrated and with plenty of virtuoso fireworks for the pianist.

[jonah]

Last year, the Piano Concertos, or at least some of them, were listed in Toccata Classics Pipeline as forthcoming, but the listing has now gone, so presumably new recordings are not now likely, at least not from Toccata - pity.

[TerraEpon]

Hmmm I have #3 on a disc on the ''Gaga New' label that's simply called 'Compositions' and remember it being a pretty good though pretty typical late romantic concerto. Might be interesting to hear the other.

[M. Yaskovsky]

Could you please provide a link to the recording on Amazon?

[Mark Thomas]

Try going to amazon.co.uk and searching for "vladigerov piano concertos".

[Wheesht]

Reading the name Vladigerov has inspired me to listen the recording I have had for many years: "The Great Bulgarian Piano Concertos" on Gega GD 107. This contains Vladigerov's no. 3 (coupled with the first piano concerto by Vesselin Stoyanov from 1941), played by Boris Nedeltchev and the Bulgarian Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vassil Kazandjiev, recorded in 1991 and probably no longer available as a CD, but still listed for borrowing (I have never tried this site) on Muziekweb. Both recordings are also on YT.

[Mark Thomas]

I have that CD and have always preferred Stoyanov's concerto to Vladigerov's. It's as UC-friendly, has a lovely slow movement (not that Vladigerov is any slouch in that department either) and is rather less bombastic and more reflective than the Vladigerov, at least to my ears. I see that Stoyanov's other two piano concertos are also available on YouTube.

[adriano]

At last - and highly recommendable!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Vladigerov-Concertos-Bulgarian-Orchestra-Alexander/dp/B089CQ8H1R/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=vladigerov&qid=1600468308&s=music&sr=1-1

[Martin Eastick]

It is most interesting and exciting to see in the introduction on Capriccio's website - and also repeated elsewhere, including Amazon, that this would seem to be the beginning of an 18 disc Vladigerov edition, so hopefully further instalments will feature the other orchestral/vocal etc. music which was originally included in the 3 box sets of LP's. I'm sure some of us may have these but it would be great to have these recordings available again as they were not at all easy to obtain when released, and some of the pressings were dubious at best! I am certainly looking forward to the symphonies!

[adriano]

So am I, Martin. The Concertos are all conducted by the composer's son.
Vladigerov was actually born in Zurich :-)
Fritz Brun conducted Vladigerov's symphonic poem "Vardar" in Berne on 28th January 1930.

I haven't listened yet to the Naxos CD with orchestral works (including "Vardar")
https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/pancho-vladigerov-orchesterwerke/hnum/9497944

[Gerhard Griesel]

I found the following anecdote on YouTube regarding Pancho Vladigerov's Piano Concerto No.1, which I partially rewrite here for the benefit of those of you who may not have seen it. I can't vouch for the truth or otherwise:

Apparently Herbert von Karajan performed this work as the pianist in the Mozarteum for his master degree performance examination. He damaged a tendon in the process. This happened because halfway through the piece he glanced toward the audience, and much to his surprise, saw his mother sitting in the front row! Much to the audience's amazement he tried to play both the right and left hand parts with just his left hand to enable him to give mum a nice long wave. She smiled ever-so-proudly back at her son, seemingly oblivious to the crescendo of boos reverberating around the concert hall.

[adriano]

Yes Gerhard
And in Richard Osborne's Karajan biography it is also mentioned that HvK hat met Vladigerov in 1925, at he occasion Bernhard Paumgartner and Vladigerov were editing Humperdinck's pantomime score "Das Mirakel" for a Salzburg performance. Apparently, Valdigerov was "one of the most talented of (Max) Reinhardt's many camp-followers". And, apparently, HvK needed 14 days to learn that "punishingly difficult" Piano Concerto by Vladigerov - which thus became his "pianistic Waterloo".