Malcolm Frager (1935 – 1991), one of the greatest piano virtuosos to emerge from the United States, rapidly came to fame in the late 1950s following a series of victories in international piano competitions. His discography is comparatively small, but the consistently high acclaim among critics and pianophiles for recording he made for Decca, Eterna, Telarc, and RCA Victor Red Seal have elevated his recordings to a prized position among collectors.
Parnassus Records returns to international availability some of his first recordings: a blazing performance of Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto conducted by René Leibowitz, Haydn’s Piano Sonata No. 35 in E-flat major, and a Russian recording of Bartók’s Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion with Vladimir Ashkenazy, in newly restored remastering from Urlicht AudioVisual.
Another massive rendition of a large-scale Second Piano Concerto finds the American pianist Malcolm Frager confronting Prokofiev with the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra under René Leibowitz for what must surely be among the greatest recordings ever made of this mighty work…
-Rob Cowan, Gramophone (April 2024)
“…this is a terrific disc, showcasing several facets of the young Malcolm Frager’s distinctive and superior pianism. It deserves a place on the shelves of every piano aficionado.“
-Stephen Greenbank, MusicWeb International
