Favorite Cadenza?

I've been listening to and enjoying immensely Kempff's Beethoven Concerti with Van Kempen. What I find especially interesting are the cadenzas he plays for 1 through 4 (Beethoven of course made it clear that he wanted *his* cadenzas to be played in 5). This got me thinking.

What is your favorite recording of any cadenza, for any instrument, based on composition and performance?

I've always liked the cadenza Timofey Dokshitzer wrote for Arutunian's Trumpet Concerto. The Artura Sandoval recording of it is pretty good; I also had a cassette years ago but long since lost it of Dokshitzer himself playing it.

(I know I'm slaughtering a few spellings of names here.)

I've always liked the cadenza in Shostakovich Violin Cto #1 (Oistrakh)

Some time ago I was looking at the 2-PF reduction of Mozart's Concerto in E Flat, K 482, which contained Hummel's cadenzas. I remember thinking that the one for the 1st movement would be ideal if it were just cut down a bit. And that's exactly what Perahia does in his recording of the work.

It worked once, but I'm having more trouble getting Peter Gelb to read my mind...

Beethoven's cadenza for the first movement of P.C. #4 is my favorite. Kempff's is an abomination.

Paul Goldstein

Rachmaninoff's cadenza for the same piece.

Alkan's cadenza for the Beethoven 3rd concerto is one of the most wonderfully appalling things I've ever heard, incredibly long and difficult, eventually bringing in material from the 5th symphony (IV). Hamelin's recording gets the nod by default.

A few favorites: Landowska's cadenza for Haydn Piano Concerto in D, Casadesus for Mozart PC #25, Medtner's for his PC #2 - Rachmaninoff's and Hamelin's quasi cadenza for Liszt Hungarian Rhapsody #2,

The cadenzas I would MOST LIKE TO HEAR - Godowsky's for Mozart K. 488, K 482 and Beethoven PC #4.

John's mention of Mozart's #25 reminded me of another excellent cadenze - Istomin's, which Leon Fleisher uses in his recording, although the fact is documented only on the LP issue.

And Fleisher, BTW, is scheduled to appear with our San Antonio Symphony next season - if we have one!! ($$$$$)

I love that cadenza too...and it's the perfect placement in the piece (a shame more composers, including himself, didn't follow his example on form from this piece....)

That's probably my favorite, too. In a completely different vein, I like Kreisler's cadenza for the Brahms Violin Concerto much better than Joachim's.