Gheorghiu: Constantinescu Piano Concerto (rec. 1957) - LVSM FBLP 1095 (10 inch)

Jacket VG- / LP EX

This beautiful and very rare 10" LP from La Voix de son Maitre (FBLP 1095, French pressing, red/silver semi-circle label – ED1, mono – no stereo edition exists) features Valentin Gheoghiu's pioneering account of Romanian composer's Paul Constantinescu's evocative Piano Concerto, recorded with conductor Constantin Silvestri and l'Orchestre National de la Radiodifussion Française in the spacious acoustics of the Salle Wagram, Paris, on 22 November 1957.

Constantinescu's Piano Concerto is a work that richly deserves more currency both in the concert hall and on record – it is a brilliantly inventive and atmospheric piece and Gheorghiu's masterly rendition remains unsurpassed. In Silvestri he has the finest possible accompanist and the entire performance has about it a sense of discovery and wonder.

The reverse side of the jacket carries insightful liner notes by composer Marcel Mihalovici, printed in French only. The striking cover design is uncredited.