Dvorak: Piano Concerto in G minor, Op. 33

Sviatoslav Richter (1915-97) left behind the extraordinary legacy of a highly sensitive, angst-ridden yet ultimately serene musician, a true monstre sacré, a perfectionist in search of the absolute. This duo of 'nationalist' concertos by Grieg and Dvorák featured only briefly in his repertoire. The uncharacteristic liberty of his playing and the sense of exultation is astounding, illuminating these romantic compositions based on national folklore. They form a unique, totally unprecedented combination.

New Naïve signing, Francesco Piemontesi, born in 1983, is one of today's most-watched pianists. His debut album on Naïve features the Schumann Piano Concerto and the original version of the Dvorák Piano Concerto, a work seldom performed due to its sheer technical difficulty. Conducted by Jiri Belohlávek with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the album was recorded at BBC Maida Vale studios (Dvorák) and live in concert at the Barbican (Schumann) in December 2012 and continues the blossoming relationship between soloist, conductor and orchestra, begun in 2010, with Strauss’s 'Burleske'.

Piemontesi was voted Best Newcomer at the 2012 BBC Music Magazine Awards. In presenting his student with the award, Alfred Brendel praised “a young pianist with real talent, a pianist of natural poise and grace, of wonderful technical equipment, and of the ability to remind us what beautiful playing means: cantabile playing that is colourful, luminous and harmonious, without in the least lacking tension and atmosphere.”

Piemontesi has been a prize-winner at numerous international competitions including the Queen Elisabeth in Brussels, and in 2009 was awarded a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship as well as being named by the BBC as one of its New Generation Artists.

Groundbreaking early recordings made by the legendary Czech conductor Rafael Kubelík.

The name of Rafael Kubelík symbolically opens the Supraphon series of archival recordings featuring the most celebrated Czech conductors. Kubelík’s journey to catharsis, which was represented by the legendary performance of My Country at the first liberated Prague Spring festival in 1990, lasted more than half a century.

He first conducted the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra when he was twenty and at the age of twenty-eight (1942) became its chief conductor. The precious recordings on this double CD were made between 1944 and 1948, prior to Kubelík’s emigration. When it comes to Dvořák’s music, one of the cornerstones of the Czech Philharmonic’s repertoire, unique recordings of Kubelík’s singular interpretation of Symphony No. 8 and the Piano Concerto with a spellbinding performance by the young Rudolf Firkušný have been preserved. Yet Kubelík also boldly presented a contemporary repertoire.

The live recording of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 9 dating from December 1945 (a mere three months after the work was completed!) is probably the very first recording of the work. The onerous experience of the war is also reflected in Martinů’s Symphony No. 4. The unique recordings of the Memorial to Lidice and Dobiáš’s Stalingrad cantata depict the atmosphere of a difficult time. Kubelík’s recordings from the 1940s are a testament to a legendary figure who after another 40 years of conducting leading orchestras abroad would in the spring of 1990 make a triumphant return to liberated Prague.

Rostropovich’s famous performance of Dvorak’s second cello concerto appears at super budget price for the first time and is coupled with Maxian’s rendition of the Piano Concerto. Idiomatic accompaniment is given by the Czech Philharmonic, conducted by Vaclav Talich.

'This is a performance in which the soloist emphasises the lyrical side of the work and dwells yearningly on its lovely tunes in a way that is poignant and moving........ Rostropovich commands a beautiful singing tone’ Gramophone

Martin Helmchen’s last two CDs have both been Music Choice of the Month in BBC Music Magazine. His recording of the “Trout” received excellent reviews all over the world: “The young Martin Helmchen is as gifted a new pianist as I expect to hear for years” BBC Music Magazine.

Vassily Primakov brings his formidable pianism to the wonderful, but infrequently performed Dvorak Piano Concerto, playing Dvorak's notoriously fiendish original version. British conductor Justin Brown leads the Odense Symphony Orchestra.