The main attraction here is in having the Third Concerto – that is, the Allegro de concert that Tchaikovsky left to fend for itself – supplemented by Taneyev’s edition of the Andante and finale, originally published as Op. 79. Some collectors may remember that Semyon Bogatiryov worked all three into his reconstruction of a ‘Seventh’ Symphony, but Taneyev’s completion is worth hearing, not least for the lovely Andante, where solo strings (the cello in particular) recall the chamber-music world of the Second Concerto’s expansive Andante non troppo. The finale is something of a tub-thumping tour de force and although Taneyev keeps the dialogue lively the original first movement still strikes me as by far the best of the three. Peter Jablonski’s performance is pretty nimble and Dutoit’s Philharmonia accompaniment fairly animated, but rival versions of the first movement – Postnikova being the first that springs to mind – have rather more character.
The Second Concerto makes greater demands on the soloist and craves the maximum dedication; rhetorical cadenzas are legion, most specifically in the first movement, but their effect relies more on emphatic interpretation than on overt bravura. Jablonski qualifies on the second count, but not on the first (rave reviews quoted in Decca’s booklet prick my conscience but contradict what I actually hear), although the second movement finds violinist Christopher Warren-Green, cellist Andrew Shulman and Jablonski himself in happy accord. Elsewhere, I longed for the coloristic skills of a Postnikova, a Pletnev or a Cherkassky. Here Tchaikovsky’s mounting sequences come and go without either ceremony or impact; the playing is technically brilliant (though some fast passages sound a mite unfocused), the orchestral contribution bluff and impulsive (the Philharmonia’s woodwind are on good form) but there’s precious little in the way of expressive nuance, dynamic inflexion or pianistic refinement.
In short, Jablonski sounds out of sympathy with Tchaikovsky’s emotional climate and in these concertos – the Second especially – heart and hands must effect a potent collaboration. Do try to hear the Tchaikovsky-Taneyev Third Concerto, but if you want to feel this music as well as hear it, Postnikova or Donohoe will serve you better.'