Notable Performances
- Van Cliburn won the First International Tchaikovsky Competition in 1958 with this piece, surprising some people, as he was an American competing in Moscow at the height of the Cold War.
- Vladimir Horowitz performed this piece as part of a World War II fund-raising concert in 1943, with his father-in-law, the conductor Arturo Toscanini, conducting the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Two separate performances of Horowitz playing the concerto and Toscanini conducting were eventually released on records and CDs - the live 1943 rendition, and an earlier studio recording made in 1941.
- Martha Argerich made one of the best recordings of this work in 1994, with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic. Her renditions are usually known for their speed, dynamism, and also nobility, notably the octave storms.
- Horacio Gutierrez' performance of this piece at the Tchaikovsky piano competition (1970) resulted in a silver medal. He later recorded with the Baltimore Symphony and David Zinman.
Read more about this topic: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Tchaikovsky)
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