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.