The catalogue is short of an outstanding recent version of Dvorak’s Piano Concerto, not an easy work either to bring off or to record. Rudolf Firkusny has championed it several times on disc, but his performance here of the rather awkward solo part is not flawless, and the recording is a little harsh and sets the orchestra back at a distance from him, obscuring some of the orchestral felicities. Contenders include Sviatoslav Richter, with the Prague Symphony Orchestra and Vaclav Smetacek (recorded in 1966); Andras Schiff, with the Vienna Philharmonic and Christoph von Dohnanyi; and recently Jeno Jando, with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Antoni Wit. Frantisek Maxian took the easier option of using the version prepared by Wilem Kurz (and printed below Dvorak’s in the Collected Edition) when he recorded the work with Vaclav Talich back in 1951. No clear recommendation, then, except a ‘wait and see’ policy unless the matter is urgent, when Richter or Schiff are probably the best bets.'