Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 & Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1

One of the first performers to cross the Cold-War divide between the Soviet Union and the West, Sviatoslav Richter was among the most electrifying musicians of his generation. He premiered several of his good friend Prokofiev's works, and this account of the sprightly and witty Fifth Concerto is definitive. Rachmaninoff's lovely Second Concerto, whose lush first movement theme is known to many listeners as "Full Moon and Empty Arms," is alternatingly taut and melting here. These perfect solo performances are given just the right idiomatic support by superb Polish musicians in a warm and clear Deutsche Gramophone recording.