Recent discussion of the Beethoven piano concertos reminded me of a
version of the Emperor concerto I bought in the 70s by Hanae Nakajima
and the Nuremberg Symphony conducted by Rato Tschupp. A BBC presenter
had commended this version to listeners as the best available at the
time (1973) and because it was a superbudget LP, sold by the truckload.
I listened to it for the first time in ages last night and found the piano
playing refreshing and, when appropriate, quite sublime. The orchestral
contribution was at best adequate and sometimes less than that. A bit of
research in some old catalogues showed this version survived until the
mid-80s and then disappeared. I don't know whether it was ever released
in the US.
It seems strange that a pianist could make one highly-regarded record and
then never be heard of again. Does anyone have anything to add?
Richard Pennycuick
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