Described as a jewel in the label s crown and one of the glories of the recording industry, Hyperion s Romantic Piano Concerto series has reached an amazing milestone: Volume 50. Rarely in the history of recorded music has such a rich seam of undiscovered delights been mined to such consistently dazzling effect. These first fifty volumes include 131 works for piano and orchestra. Fifty- nine of these are premiere recordings and many others have only been recorded once before. The performers include some of the greatest pianists, orchestras and conductors in the world, and each disc in itself is a miracle of virtuosity, scholarship and musicianship. For volume 50, a typically stellar cast has been assembled for a two-disc set that includes, unusually, one of the most famous concertos in the repertoire. Tchaikovsky s Piano Concerto No.1 has certainly achieved warhorse status but in the expert hands of Stephen Hough, it sounds new once again. Recorded live with the Minnesota Orchestra under their acclaimed conductor Osmo Vänskä, this fascinating two-disc, complete survey of Tchaikovsky s music for piano and orchestra also delves into less well- known music by the famous composer. The result is a release of unique importance: a winning combination of a pianist at the zenith of his artistry, a world-class orchestra and director, a pre-eminent producer and engineer, repertoire both familiar and unknown and packaged with even more than the usual care that customers have come to expect from Hyperion.