Search - Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Ashkenazy :: International Tchaikovsky Competition, Vol. 1: The Draw - 1962 (Melodiya)

Two great pianists collided in the 1960 Tchaikovsky Competition and shared first prize. Vladimir Ashkenazy went on to international stardom, John Ogdon to an erratic career hampered by mental illness and ended by an early death. Ashkenazy, who apparently didn't feel sympathetic to the Tchaikovsky Concerto, still plays it well, with a good blend of poetry and virtuosity, and gives us a fine solo encore. Ogdon gets through the Liszt concerto pretty well but doesn't do anything special with it. His encore, though, is an exciting example of the pianist at his best. The mono recordings, made in studios after the competition, sound fine. --Leslie Gerber