Great Pianists Of The 20th Century, Vol. 15

Few people here in the US will have heard of, much less heard recordings of, the duo piano team of Lyubov Bruk (1926-1996) and Mark Taimanov (b.1926). Their performing life occurred entirely during the Soviet era, having broken up as a team (and as a married couple) in the early 1970s. Fortunately, the people who put together the wonderful Philips 'Great Pianists of the 20th Century' collection of 200 CDs (actually 100 twofers) had the good sense to include them. Indeed, the only other duo included, as I recall, were Joseph and Rosina Lhévinne, and for a few tracks Robert and Gaby Casadesus. This team gets 2 1/2 hours for their recordings, and frankly they left me wishing for more. Included are many of the mainstays of two-piano classic repertoire, much of it Russian: the two Rachmaninoff suites and the two Arensky suites, both done as well as I've ever heard them. I absolutely love the Busoni Duettino, based on the finale of Mozart's Piano Concert, K. 459 - absolutely charming; it is not a transcription for piano soloist and a second piano playing a reduction of the orchestra accompaniment, but a re-writing that is masterful. Then there are the major French works for two pianos: the Poulenc concerto, the Poulenc sonata, and the ever-fresh 'Scaramouche' by Milhaud, with its saucy rhythms played with hair-trigger reflexes by this duo. Finally, we have a creditable recording of the Mozart two-piano concerto. It is not absolutely top-notch, in my opinion, becoming a bit slack in the middle movement. Also there are plenty of other good recordings of this concerto in competition with it. [My own personal favorite is that of Murray Perahia and Radu Lupu.] Give this (to most of us) unknown piano duo a try. You will not be sorry. Scott Morrison