Idil Biret – Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3

Apart from Idil Biret's culturally, historically or aesthetically significant performance of Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto with the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Erich Leinsdorf on 22 November 1963, another memorable performance of the 3rd Concerto was at the Istanbul Festival in July 1983 with the Leningrad Orchestra conducted by Alexander Dimitreev. After her performance the orchestra's conductor Alexander Dimitriev visited Idil Biret at her home and said the following: We were quite intrigued when we learnt that you wanted to perform Rachmaninoff's 3rd Piano Concerto with our orchestra as women rarely play this work. I now want to thank you for your wonderful performance yesterday. There is no woman today in the Soviet Union who can play this work the masterly way you did. The number of men who can do so are limited in number to the fingers of hand.