The ghosts of Shostakovich and Prokofiev hang over Kabalevsky’s two piano concertos, the second of which makes a far more imposing impression than the third, which was composed much later for young performers (much like Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto, which benefits from that composer’s added bite and wit). If you like, say, Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto, you’ll love Kabelevsky’s Second, as it features some great tunes, colorful orchestration, and a rousing last-movement climax that comes about as close as this composer ever gets to music of real violence. Kathryn Stott does herself proud in this music, and while we might wish for a bit more steel in her tone in the two finales, she takes on some pretty hair-raising tempos and emerges triumphantly.
Vassily Sinaisky has the floor to himself in the Colas Breugnon Overture and in The Comedians, works that require little more than liveliness and brilliance to make their best impression. They certainly get that here, aided in no small degree by excellent recorded sound (neither excessively reverberant nor unduly spot-lit, unlike some others from this source). It’s good to see a major label like Chandos paying attention to this attractive music. Although Kabalevsky wasn’t a major talent, he certainly was talented and his music doesn’t deserve the obscurity in which it currently languishes. This disc goes a long way to making a strong case for him.
