Gilels made two recordings of this concerto. The later version was made for DG in the early 1970s with Eugen Jochum and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra: it is still available on LP (and will soon also be released on CD), having earned a high reputation over the years. This earlier version, made in January 1958, is no less remarkable and very different. Perhaps it was the temporary transatlantic influence of Reiner and his orchestra which persuaded Gilels to see the concerto as a vehicle for a display of brilliant virtuoso playing, with fast tempos and little relaxation except in the third movement. certainly the playing in the overture has the same characteristics. But when this approach was harnessed to Gilel's intellectual strength the result was a performance of great power.
The original stereo LP had a somewhat metallic piano sound and fierce string tone; the most recent reissue, at bargain price (Camden Classics—nla), softened the harshness but blurred the sound image in the process. On the new CD there is still an element of harshness but the engineers have managed to find a new refinement in the quality while retaining all the presence of the original.'