Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Piano Concerto No 2 in G major, Op 44
1 Allegro brillante e molto vivace
2 Andante non troppo
3 Allegro con fuoco
Mikhail Pletnev, piano
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra
Vladimir Fedoseyev, conductor
This is the best quality video of live performance that I could find. There are many other equally -or arguably better- performances that you can find on YouTube but lacking live visual or in the case of Shura Cherkassky, regrettably a sound-video synching problem.
It should also be noted that just one year before the devolution, Iranian pianist Novin Afrouz has recorded this concerto with Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra and the Iranian conductor Alexander (Ali) Rahbari. Excellent performance but no live video.
Also Emil Gilels interpretation is one of my favourites.
Always full of eastern promises? Is that we are always drawn to Mr T?
Strangely enough, Tchaikovsky always wanted to be considered a 'Western' composer not a 'Russian' or 'Eastern'.
Yet when you listen to a piece like his Symphony No 5 the Russian echoes are unmistakable.... ( especially minute 10:18 of the first movement onwards)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w2JBT0HC98I
Agreed. I personally never viewed him as 'European' composer but Russian. There is also the aura of the interpretation. This interpretation of Fedoseyev and Pletnev, as someone placed a comment on its YouTube page, is 'very much Russian'.