An interesting personal discovery I made last year was the pianist Viktor Eresko, a Russian pianist. He made a number of excellent recordings for Melodiya in the final decade of the Soviet Union, a few of which were reissued on CD.
Unfortunately for “vinyl renaissance” resisters like me, a good portion of Eresko’s discography remains locked on LP. (Much of which is also not readily or cheaply available.) A shame because everything I’ve heard by him is excellent. His sweep and richness of tone are positively Romantic; especially attractive are his pearlescent fingerwork and silvery octaves, both qualities vividly apparent in his recording of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto. That, along with the torso of the Third, were reissued on a late 1980s Melodiya CD — it’s a favorite of mine and well worth seeking. Eresko’s recording of the Second regrettably appears to never have been reissued on CD. One can imagine that this work would’ve been especially well suited to his talents.
Easier to find is Eresko’s cycle of the Rachmaninoff concertos, with the underrated Gennady Provatorov conducting. Somewhat more rare is his recording of the Rachmaninoff Second Concerto conducted by Lazarev. It might be even finer than the version with Provatorov. Eresko plays with just a shade more momentum, his phrasing and voicing a touch bolder. This is merely a question of personal taste; both recordings deserve space on your shelf.
If YouTube suffices for you, Eresko’s recording with Provatorov is linked above. There don’t appear to be any videos of his recording with Lazarev.
As for Eresko, his performing career seemed to dwindle after the fall of the Soviet Union. I haven’t been able to determine why this happened. A masterly and very distinctive musician, if his recordings are accurate; he sort of reminds me of a Russian John Browning. Eresko seems to have done fine personally, though. Today he teaches and resides in France, which awarded him the Order of Arts and Letters. He also continues to serve on the juries of major music competitions, most recently at the 17th Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.
Anyway, if you come across any Eresko CDs, don’t think twice.