Aside from the Shostakovich Second Piano Concerto, Denis Matsuev has recorded this music before, and quite recently. The First Piano Concerto was released on a stunning disc featuring the St. Petersburg Philharmonic under Temirkanov for RCA. It was and remains one of the reference versions of the work. The Shchedrin was available (in Europe only) on a Sony disc with Bavarian Radio forces under Mariss Jansons. I have not heard that earlier recording, but I suspect that it too surpasses this newcomer, if only because the Mariinsky Orchestra continues to sound distinctly second rate, with thin strings and a general lack of character, exacerbated by dry sonics.
Of course, Matsuev remains a dazzling soloist, and some collectors may want to hear him in the Shostakovich Second Concerto. The only problem is that it’s probably the weakest performance on the disc, with a notable lack of sparkle and dash in the outer movements. There is simply no rational reason for artists to release multiple recordings of the same music when they have nothing new to say about it. Chances are, as here, the results will only be less satisfactory than before, and now that record labels with strong A&R personalities are gone forever, if the artists don’t care about their own reputations, who will?
