70904 for PDF 11/05 - Ivory Classics

Albéniz-Godowsky – this way and that, reflecting
its contours and tints as if through some
revolving prism. . . . Musically speaking he was
one of life’s great adventurers, tirelessly seeking
out novel angles, nooks and crannies, deploying
a heaven-sent cantabile (“Nobody seems to care
about sound any more,” Cherkassky once
lamented) and, at his greatest, complementing
his plethora of ideas with a rich and transcendental
pianism.”
“We were fortunate to meet Shura
Cherkassky in 1978 when he performed in
Berkeley, California,” write producers Marina
and Victor Ledin. “He performed a program of
Schumann, Bartok, Chopin, and Mussorgsky...
and after the concert we went for a frozen yogurt
treat.” “He granted us permission in 1982 to
record his San Francisco recital, which was
broadcast on public radio. He remarked to us at
that time that all of the compositions he was
about to play felt fresh to him... Not one to ever
Shura Cherkassky
play any piece of music twice the same way, he
on several occasions told us that these San
Francisco performances were among his favorite interpretations. For those who were not fortunate
enough to have experienced a live Cherkassky concert performance, we hope that this
recording will prove as musically enriching as it was for us.”
Over his long career, Shura Cherkassky recorded for London/Decca, Nimbus, Vox,
Deutsche Grammophon, L’Oiseau-Lyre, Reader’s Digest, HMV, Concert Hall Society, Cupol,
Columbia, RCA Victor and Tudor.
– 14 –