Derek Han, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Paul Freeman - Tchaikovsky: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 (2006)

Pianist Derek Han is best known for his recordings of the piano concertos of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Ludwig van Beethoven, though his repertoire has long included many Romantic works, such as the Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23, and the Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major, Op. 44, by Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, which are paired on this Brilliant Classics reissue. Han's style of playing is not big, loud, or showy, and perhaps he is best suited to the cleaner lines and lighter textures of Classical-era piano concertos, rather than to the more robust showpieces of the late nineteenth century. Even so, there's little in Tchaikovsky's two masterpieces to prohibit the translucent and meticulous approach that this artist favors. Indeed, once one gets past the gushing, big-tune opening of the Piano Concerto No. 1, which Han manages well, one finds that Tchaikovsky's music is generally lyrical in style and subdued in mood, which gives Han many opportunities for nuances and subtlety; the control and polish for which he is noted are plainly evident in the soft, songful passages, particularly in the understated Piano Concerto No. 2. It's too bad that the sound of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, conducted by Paul Freeman, is not as lucid in this reissue as Han's playing, for the audio quality is fairly foggy, and the highs and lows of the orchestra seem inordinately muffled.