"It is, quite simply, beautiful playing." - GRAMOPHONE original review Joint winner of The 1962 International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition (with Ashkenazy), John Odgon was a phenomenal pianist and composer, a gentle giant of a man but a troubled genius plagued by mental and later physical health problems that culminated in his premature death at the age of only 52. His recorded legacy is considerable but his inaugural recordings for EMI (his recording of Tchaikovsky's 1st Piano Concerto is on HIQLP037) remain special for capturing in superb stereo his artistry at the start of his international career. In the original review in The Gramophone of July 1962, T.H. remarked that it was - "a record that will certainly enhance his reputation the word over... the intellect in control of the emotions, allied to a really remarkable technique, brings nobility, to the first movement in particular, that is rare and very affecting." "...The recording suits this approach, too, for soloist and orchestra are for once well balanced... yet the recording is of wide range, so the climaxes are fully telling... bright and vivid stereo."