Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto Nos 1 & 4 (Original versions)

"This is a stellar recording in every respect"
(American Record Guide)

In January 1998, Vladimir Ashkenazy conducted his first concerts as Chief Conductor of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, and during 1998/99, his first full season in the post, he continued to build his relationship with the orchestra with performances in Prague and on tour in Japan, Italy, Switzerland and Germany.

Alongside his work with the Czech Philharmonic, he continued as Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin until the end of June 1999.

During his earlier years Mr Ashkenazy has been Music Director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London (1987-94), Principal Guest Conductor of the Cleveland Orchestra (1988-1994), and Principal Guest Conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra. He has also appeared as guest conductor with others among the world's finest orchestras including Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony and Concergebouw Orchestras. More recently he has established a regular collaboration with the St Petersburg Philharmonic, both in concerts and on record.

Even though the greater part of his music making is devoted to conducting, Vladimir Ashkenazy also leads a richly active life as a pianist, the role in which he first established his international reputation. After studying first at the Central School of Music and at the Moscow Conservatoire, he made his name by winning the second prize in the Chopin Competition in Warsaw in 1955 and the first prize in the Queen Elizabeth Competition in Brussels in 1956. His international reputation was further confirmed in 1962 when he won the first prize in the Second Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow. From then on for the next three decades he appeared each season in the leading musical centres of the world, performing an ever-growing repertoire in recitals and concertos. He also performed and recorded in partnership with artists such as Itzhak Perlman, Pinchas Zukerman, Lynn Harrell, Elisabeth Söderström, Barbara Bonney and Mathias Goerne.

As a pianist he has recorded almost all the major works of the repertoire. As a conductor with such orchestras as Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, Concertgebouw, Cleveland, Boston and Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester he has also recorded a huge range of works from Mozart to Berg, Schoenberg and Stravinsky. Ashkenazy is also now collaborating with Ondine Records on projects with the Helsinki Philharmonic.