Various Composers - Shura Cherkassky Rediscovered, Vol. 3

Information

• Franz Liszt - Réminiscences de Don Juan. S. 418 (After W.A. Mozart)
• Frédéric Chopin - Nocturne, Op. 55: No. 1, Andante in F Minor
• Frédéric Chopin - Polonaise No. 6 in A-Flat Major, Op. 53 "Heroic"
• George Gershwin - 3 Preludes
• Johann Sebastian Bach - Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major, BWV 564
• Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101

Shura Cherkassky, piano

Date: 2026

Label: Nimbus Records

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This release highlights previously unissued material from legendary pianist Shura Cherkassky, recorded between 1982 and 1987 during his Nimbus Records sessions. Discovered during an extensive five-year archive investigation prompted by the 2020 COVID-19 shutdowns, which uncovered over fifty unreleased projects, the collection owes its existence to Wilfred Stiff of Ibbs & Tillett. Stiff connected Cherkassky with Nimbus to revitalise the pianist's waning late-career trajectory. Celebrated as one of the last major figures of a classic virtuoso generation led by Vladimir Horowitz, Cherkassky’s historical recordings now reach listeners, capturing a pivotal moment in his distinguished artistic legacy.

Shura Cherkassky (1911–1995) was a Ukrainian-born, London-based pianist celebrated as one of the last great exponents of the Romantic keyboard tradition. A child prodigy from Odessa, he studied with Josef Hofmann at the Curtis Institute and built an international career marked by electrifying, unpredictable performances of Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Mussorgsky, and Liszt, alongside adventurous programming that included Berg and Messiaen. Guided by intuition, he was admired for his tonal color, spontaneity, and virtuosity, though sometimes deemed erratic. After postwar success in Europe, his popularity resurged in the 1980s through numerous Nimbus recordings and later releases on Decca. He performed actively until his death in 1995.

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