Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Chopin's two piano concertos have long been admired more as pianistic vehicles than as integrated works for piano and orchestra. But in his revelatory new recording, Krystian Zimerman suggests otherwise: The opening orchestral tuttis have so much more light, shade, orchestral color, and detail, you wonder if they've been rewritten. Every gesture, every instrumental solo is so specifically characterized that by the time the piano makes a dramatic entrance, the pieces have become operas without words. One may wonder if Chopin intended that. In fact, he knew bel canto opera in his native Poland, but the more positive proof is that the music has so much more to say when treated this way. Some will find the performances disturbing: The interpretations are so much more about content than form, and there's so much tempo and rhythmic flexibility, that the music sometimes seems unmoored and adrift. But upon repeated listening, the sense of fantasy is so beguiling that you wonder if you could ever go back to more conventional performances. --David Patrick Stearns

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In E minor, Op.11: Allegro maestoso
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In E minor, Op.11: Romance - Larghetto
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In E minor, Op.11: Rondo - Vivace

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano and Orchestra No. 2 In F minor, Op.21: Maestoso
Concerto For Piano and Orchestra No. 2 In F minor, Op.21: Larghetto
Concerto For Piano and Orchestra No. 2 In F minor, Op.21: Allegro vivace

Amazon.com

Chopin's two piano concertos have long been admired more as pianistic vehicles than as integrated works for piano and orchestra. But in his revelatory new recording, Krystian Zimerman suggests otherwise: The opening orchestral tuttis have so much more light, shade, orchestral color, and detail, you wonder if they've been rewritten. Every gesture, every instrumental solo is so specifically characterized that by the time the piano makes a dramatic entrance, the pieces have become operas without words. One may wonder if Chopin intended that. In fact, he knew bel canto opera in his native Poland, but the more positive proof is that the music has so much more to say when treated this way. Some will find the performances disturbing: The interpretations are so much more about content than form, and there's so much tempo and rhythmic flexibility, that the music sometimes seems unmoored and adrift. But upon repeated listening, the sense of fantasy is so beguiling that you wonder if you could ever go back to more conventional performances. --David Patrick Stearns

Customer Reviews:

Best recording of the concertos out there! .......2007-05-01

I searched the web and stores in general for many years trying to find something better... better does not exist in this case.

A tender and delicate Chopin.......2007-04-08

Mr. Zimerman and his Polish Festival Orchestra have produced a very fine recording of the Chopin Piano Concertos No. 1 and 2. Mr. Zimerman has hand picked young Polish musicians to form this orchestra. While it is quite possible for the musicians who are not Polish to completely succeed in interpreting Chopin, I think that it does help if one absorbs Chopin with the mother's milk, so to speak. Mr. Zimerman plays piano and also conducts. He lets the orchestra flourish. They produce a big wave of intricate music. One can hear that the musicians in the orchestra are pouring their hearts and creativity out. One can feel the freedom of the orchestral expression. The orchestra follows the gentleness and the lyricism of Mr. Zimerman's interpretation.

Mr. Zimerman will immediately touch your heart. He is a great master of Chopin.

Mr. Zimerman plays beautifully, with delicate soft dynamics. He achieves the full emotional effect without any over-expressions. He goes softer and more delicate in many places in which others may add more sound and strength. His effect wins.

My favorites are the Rondo from the Concerto No.1, in which Mr. Zimerman plays energetically and with determination, but without any harshness of tone, and the Maestoso from the Concerto No. 2. In the latter the orchestra initially goes for less sound, rather than for the bigger sound often heard in other orchestras. There is a vein of Chopin's sadness that would be lost if the orchestra were too bright. The piano enters dramatically, but then becomes whimsical, and later quite sad. More moods follow. This is the most beautiful movement. After the great introduction and the middle part the momentum is lost. It is regained towards the end of the movement, but one could feel the recovery. I guess there is a trade-off when one uses the tempo changes as a way to express subtle points in music. The loss of the musical momentum could be possibly looked at positively, as a stopping point for the reflection, but I did not like it. Here is where the stick of an external conductor would be welcome.

All in all, this is a great recording, characterized by finesse, tenderness, lyricism, and gentleness, and a nice capture of the dramatic moments. It is Chopin at its best.

Very good but certainly not Chopin.......2006-06-05

This is a very very good Piano Concerto interpretation and execution. However Krystian Zimerman, despite being as polish as Chopin, does not rise to the ocassion at all times during the Chopin Piano Concertos, and I have to say, the playing is excellent, the interpretation is supreme, but this is not Chopin by a long shot.

Take the first movements of both concertos, staring with #1. An Allegro Maestoso is supposed to be played like an Allegro Maestoso not like a scherzo or a molto maestoso. He does this flip from a blue feeling to a rhapsody playing (and viceversa) that sounds more like Listz or Brahms than a 19 year old passionate prodigious. The second concerto's frist movement again is filled with waves that sometimes make you feel you're listening to a Largetto and again a rhapsody, which this is not. Just listen to Ashkenazy play Chopin solo works and you will likely understand the man himself. Magaloff is also a reference for Chopin's playing.

A better version ? Although I'm not fond of Arrau playing Chopin, I own and prefer his version of both concertos, mostly because of the solist. If you haven't listened to them, I recommend you to do so, as his playing comes in more fluid, natural and consistant with the sheet -and with Chopin's personality-. The orchestation of Zimerman is excellent, and have to admit superior than Arrau's + London which feels somewhat missplaced at times, but as I said the piano execution is not Chopin.

All in all a very good piano concerto for someone who hasn't listened to other interpretations, so don't be surprised if you find superior versions.

Brilliant. Marvellous. Astonishing........2006-02-08

These are undoubtedly the best Chopin's concerti ever recorded. Even if I knew no other performance, after hearing this recording I'd know it's perfect. Until I first heard it, I hadn't ever thought a Polish orchestra could be so excellent. One of the reviewers, Ms Zbikowska (przy okazji, pozdrawiam) wrote she bought these CDs because of patriotic duty :) I'm also Polish, but since I consider most of music pieces to be rather beyond nationality, our Ferdek Ch. will never be my favourite composer because of his nationality :)

Instead, I bought this CD because of Zimerman, who in my opinion is the best today's pianist. I am not disappointed, moreover, I have been rewarded more than I counted for. It's difficult to describe (how can we describe music not to lose something from its beauty and depth)...

Just listen to the slow theme in the 1st movement of the E minor concerto, no matter performed by the orchestra alone or Zimerman with the orchestra. God, when I heard it, this was the first time I ever thought of Chopin's concertos: 'This isn't a sweet, candy-style music, this is real, pure beauty!' Zimerman really feels this music, understands it, thus knows how to play it. And these young talented people from the orchestra... I want them to become our National Philharmonic players! I know Zimerman "trained" them long, but the effect is absolutely unimaginable! In the samples you can hear, how they start each of the concertos. (To be honest, my favourite parts of Chopin's concerti have always been the orchestral exposition of the 1st movements with the first few minutes with the piano) Listen to it. E.g. the unusual beginning of the F minor: quiet, passionate... Then a mighty 'tutti' moment, and then it's moving, accelerating... THIS is the way it should be played! Other example: listen to the very 11-12th second of the beginning of the E minor. This might seem to be a detail at first, not worth mentioning... but how dead and boring seem immediately all other recordings! Here is the passion...

Someone contemporary to Chopin said he was more Polish than any of Frenchmen was French or any of Germans - German... I don't know whether the opinion that the music of a composer is played best by his compatriots is true in all cases, but IMO it is in the case of Chopin - and these recordings confirm it.

Don't care about people who complain about the lack of "spontaineity". There is no room for spontaineity where everything is perfect as is Chopin's head!

Buy these recordings. You cannot be disappointed.

Thanks and sorry for my, perhaps wrong, English spelling or other errors :)

P.S. Deutsche Grammo should pay me for advertisement. :)

A profound, masterful interpretation.......2005-12-06

These concertos were written by a young man in love. In 1830, at the age of 19, Chopin was smitten with the young Polish soprano Konstancja Gladkowska, and he credits her as the inspiration for his two Concertos for Piano and Orchestra, composed during that year. He wrote to a friend: "This is a young, pretty person, who plays, because, perhaps unfortunately, I have my ideal that I have been faithfully serving for six months already without speaking to her, of whom I dream, in honor of whom is the adagio to my concerto..." The youthful, melancholic passion of his first, yet unrequited love is certainly reflected in the concertos, especially in the slow movements, which Chopin described in the following words: "It is rather romantic, peaceful, melancholic. It should give the impression of a loving glance at a place which brings a thousand dear memories to mind. It is a kind of reverie on a beautiful vernal night, by moonlight."

One of the most remarkable things about Chopin is that as a composer he grew to his full potential very early in life. By the time he composed these concertos at the age of just 19, he had already developed his own completely unique pianistic idiom, quite unlike any composer before or since: like Athena springing forth fully formed from the head of Zeus. The mazurka in the finale of the Second Concerto; the romantic nocturne-like slow movements; the graceful, delicate, aristocratic embellishments: it's all pure, unadulterated Chopin. He never composed a single piece of music that did not feature the piano, and he was the author of only a small handful of works for piano and orchestra. Preferring to work in the smaller forms, Chopin is not so much remembered today for his orchestrations, which are sometimes even re-composed by those who find fault with them. But one must remember that the piano concertos were written as a labor of love, and that even if the orchestrations are not perfect, they should be treated delicately and with the same love that Chopin himself put into them.

This is the sensitive new approach that Krystian Zimerman and the Polish Festival Orchestra adopt in their landmark interpretation of the Chopin Piano Concertos. Zimerman hand-picked each and every member of his orchestra from among the finest young musicians in Poland, with the specific purpose of holding a world tour of the concertos on the 150th anniversary of Chopin's death. This recording is the result of that tour, and is nothing short of a visionary musical masterpiece. As both conductor and soloist, Zimerman blends the orchestral sound perfectly with his own performance, capturing every nuance with adroit delicacy, perfectly dovetailing every phrase. I never doubted Zimerman's virtuosity before, but this recording fixes him firmly in my mind as one of the greatest pianists of our time. His attitude towards the music is truly one of love and humility before the composer, rather than "How fast can I play this?" or "How can I use this piece to show off?" His attention to detail is amazing: listening to his performance one gets the sense that he has come to a complete understanding of Chopin's music, capturing the idiom of the composer perfectly, and leaving the listener feeling a profound sense of "rightness." The music on these discs leaves a very lasting impression, and I encourage anyone interested to listen to these recordings and experience the definitive interpretation of Chopin's Piano Concertos.

Average customer rating:

Excellent performance and sound quality at a great price!
Perfection!
Ecstasy
Classic Chopin

Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1/Saint-Saëns: Piano Concerto No.2
Haydn: Symphonies Nos. 92, 94 & 96
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Rachmaninoff: Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3
Liszt: Piano Sonata in B minor; Paganini Etudes; Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13; Transcendental Etude No. 10

ASIN: B00005YP9Q
Release Date: 2002-01-29

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 11: I. Allegro Maestoso - Emil Gilels
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 11: II. Romance: Larghetto - Emil Gilels
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In E Minor, Op. 11: III. Rondo: Vivace - Emil Gilels
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In F Minor, Op. 21: I. Maestoso - Andre Watts
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In F Minor, Op. 21: II. Larghetto - Andre Watts
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In F Minor, Op. 21: III. Allegro Vivace - Andre Watts

Customer Reviews:

Excellent performance and sound quality at a great price! .......2007-05-11

This CD is one of my favorite versions of Chopin's piano concertos 1 & 2. Emil Gilels is a world class pianist from Russia. He displays outstanding musicianship in the E minor concerto. He plays the 1st and 3rd movement with much passion and fire; the 2nd movement is absolutely beautiful. He is complemented well by Ormandy & the Philadelphia Orchestra. (If you want another great performance of the E minor concerto, you may want to check out Martha Argerich on the DG "Legendary Recordings" label)

Andre Watts does a great job on the F minor concerto and he is backed up well by Thomas Schippers & the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Watts plays the F minor beautifully and gracefully.

The sound quality is great, especially with the remastered sound. You can't get any better than this at this price. Highly recommended, even if you already have a good version of these concertos. It compares well with the versions done by Martha Argerich, Maria Jao-Pires, and Tamas Vasary (which I also own).

Perfection!.......2007-02-15

I sought after this album because I am a huge fan of Emil Gilels. It is worth noting that Eugene Ormandy at this time took over one of the finest string sections in orchestral history from predecessor Leopold Stokowski. This is important in that the E minor concerto showcases the strings as much as it does the piano. The E minor concerto was played as expected; Gilels is a rare balance of technique and interpretation. At first I was disappointed that the CD did not have Gilels' playing the F minor concerto. I had never heard of the conductor Thomas Schippers before and was a little skeptical on how the performance would be. What I love about the Chopin concertos is how important the orchestra and piano interact with each other. Schipper exhibited masterful control over the orchestra and struck an amazing balance with Watt's performance. This was an inspiring performance of the concerto. Both recordings are historic, the first showcasing a legendary pianist coupled with one of the finest string sections of the 20th century. The next showcasing the short lived career of Thomas Schippers, who at one point in his life was considered one of the "100 most influential men in America." Both recordings were digitally remastered in pristine stereo sound with very little hiss and no scratches.

Ecstasy.......2005-06-22

What can I add? I even don't know the Watts/Schippers 2nd concerto, but the Gilels/Ormandy 1st alone is enough to carry my five stars. Ormandy had a rare ability to let his soloists be carried away with the music and around middle of the first movement Gilels reaches ecstasy! How perfectly boring the much praised Argerich/Dutoit sounds, compared to this performance!

Classic Chopin.......2003-07-16

In the 1950s and 60s, CBS/Columbia (now Sony Classical) had the great fortune to have three of America's best orchestras and their conductors on its recording roster -- Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic, Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. Nearly a half-century later, sadly only Leonard Bernstein remains a name that even the non-classical music world knows well. But in the world of the compact disc, this is a wonderful thing, because while Leonard Bernstein analog stereo recordings sell at mid-price, classic performances by Ormandy and Szell are regulated to the budget line. Well, my friends there is justice because the vast majority of these "budget line" recordings are not only amazing, but some are still considered definitive more than 40 years later! This golden-age stereo recording of Chopin's 1st Piano Concerto by Ormandy and the Philadelphians with pianist Emil Gilels is one of the best performances of the piece available. The added treat here is conductor Thomas Schippers (who died tragically young, leaving us precious few recordings) leading the New York Philharmonic with pianist Andre Watts. With both Concertos squeezed together on one CD, you've got a classic disc. Never did something of such high quality come at such a small price. Enjoy!

Chopin:Rubinstein Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

Be careful.
Rubinstein's Chopin in Living Stereo

Chopin:Rubinstein Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Rachmaninoff: Piano concerto No. 3; Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 [Hybrid SACD]
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Rhapsodies [Hybrid SACD]
Mahler: Symphony No. 4 [Hybrid SACD]
César Franck: Symphony in D Minor; Igor Stravinsky; Pétrouchka [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B0009U55SS
Release Date: 2005-07-26

Customer Reviews:

Be careful........2006-03-31

I have never heard such bad recording from technical side. I do not know if it's bad remastering or no remastering at all. It's unacceptable for CD quality not even mentioning about SACD. Sounds beautiful but poor quality.

Rubinstein's Chopin in Living Stereo.......2006-03-26

Rubinstein recorded the Chopin Concertos numerous times. This version of Chopin's first Concerto is particularly successfu, partly thanks to the sensitive accompaniment of the New London Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. Tempos are well-judged, phrasing is supple and natural, virtuosity is there, but not for its own sake. The sound on the original LP and the first CD issue was plagued by dropouts at the beginning of the Concerto--these have been smoothed over remarkably. Balance between orchestra and piano has also been improved.

The Second Concerto is somewhat less successful. Here, Rubinstein is partnered by Alfred Wallenstein, his favored accompanist during the 1950s and early 1960s. Wallenstein secures reasonable playing from the Symphony of the Air, then long past its earlier glory as the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Purists should be warned that, at Rubinstein's insistence, the violins do not play "sui ponticello" as Chopin indicated in the last movement. Rubinstein's playing is fine, but the overall enjoyment of the performance is hampered by the sonic picture, which remains synthetic and dryish--despite the best efforts at SACD remastering. The later version with Ormandy is to be preferred over this one.

Chopin: Piano Concertos nos. 1 & 2 / Dutoit, Argerich

Average customer rating:

Disappointment
Great Performances
Argerich's Finest Recording of Chopin's Piano Concertos
Too much for me. :)
Fire and ice

Chopin: Piano Concertos nos. 1 & 2 / Dutoit, Argerich
Frédéric Chopin , Charles Dutoit , Martha Argerich , and Orchestre symphonique de Montréal
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00000IWVP
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.1 In E Minor, Op.11: I: Allegro Maestoso
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Minor, Op.11: II: Romanze. Larghetto
Piano Concerto No.1 In E Minor, Op.11: III: Rondo. Vivace
Piano Concerto No.2 In F Minor, Op.21: I: Maestoso
Piano Concerto No.2 In F Minor, Op.21: II: Larghetto
Piano Concerto No.2 In F Minor, Op.21: III: Allegro Vivace

Amazon.com

Martha Argerich is one of our supreme pianists, and this disc shows her almost at her best. Every phrase is beautifully considered and executed, but there is still plenty of spontaneity in her playing. Alas for the flowers of youth. A couple of decades ago, Argerich played this music (on two separate Deutsche Grammophon recordings) with even more fervor and spontaneity, and the accompaniments were more incisive and more clearly recorded than these. As Chopin wrote these concertos so early in his career, one can't help thinking that Argerich's earlier performances are more appropriate to the music. Still, with playing of this caliber, one can't merely set it aside. As a mature reconsideration of these concertos, this disc is well worth hearing--after you already know the earlier versions. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Disappointment.......2004-08-13

I usually like both Argerich and Dutoit, but EMI has not done either of them justice, and to me, Argerich sounds less involved than in other recordings. The real drawback, though, is the sound. Decca provided Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony with clear, open sound that made their recordings enjoyable. To me, EMI's sound here is indistinct, bordering on muddy at times. Orchestral detail is lost, and on a couple of occasions the piano just disappears behind the orchestra. I bought this recording expecting something special, but was quite disappointed.

Great Performances.......2002-09-05

The two piano concerti by Chopin have been staples of the concert hall for many years. However, this is only the second recordings of these concerti by Martha Argerich. Ms. Argerich summons up all of the poetry and pathos that has made Chopin's concertos so popular over the years. She is ably supported by Charles Dutoit and the Orchestre symphonique de Montreal, who fulfil their role as accompaniment well and even manage a bit of acceleration in the Second concerto (first movement) almost as if to catch Ms. Argerich by surprise. Having had the pleasure of hearing Ms. Argerich play the Beethoven Second concerto in person, I know she can drive the concerto along. So here the orchestra gets a turn. When this disc was reviewed by Gramophone the comment was made that it seemed less a studio recording than a relaxed concert performance. I would agree. The concertos come of as the luxuriously tuneful works that they are with brilliant keyboard work by Martha Argerich. This recording is among the best of Chopin's concertos and I highly recommend it.

Argerich's Finest Recording of Chopin's Piano Concertos.......2001-11-27

Martha Argerich's performances of both concerti are spellbinding, incredible displays of passion. Her technical skills at the keyboard are absolutely phenomenal too. Indeed, I doubt I have heard her play these Chopin concertos as skillfully as she does here. However, Dutoit comes across as a somewhat reluctant accompanist, in awe with her performances. He doesn't quite lead the Montrealers in brilliant performances of the orchestral scores. Still, this deserves my strong recommendation as one of the finest recordings of Chopin's piano concertos, if only because of Argerich's superb performances.

Too much for me. :).......2000-12-01

Lithe, sparkling, transparent, impressionistic--this recording is an outpouring of incredible delicious sound and it all reaches me so sublimely. It is the one piece of music I feel insecure writing about because I am so completely drawn into the moment, into the flow of the music. The orchestra and the piano are interwoven like the early sunset glow caressing a meadow's grasses. The slow movement of in the E minor is like a lullaby sung tenderly and quietly and with loving intimacy. In total both concerti seem to be played in an understated way, not with bravado, but with irresistible momentum. Dutoit and Argerich flow.

Fire and ice.......1999-12-08

Argerich plays with all her customary passion and flying fingers. But what I dislike about this recording is the fact that Dutoit's realization of the orchestral parts is rather dull. If you want to hear the true glory of these works, get the Perahia/Mehta CD (Sony). Perahia is every bit Argerich's equal while being more tasteful (IMHO), and Mehta's conducting is both powerful and vivid.

Average customer rating:

Old Muse
BORRING
decent performance of the Chopin Concerti
Very nice Chopin
Magnificent Performance

Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos
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ASIN: B0000026Q1
Release Date: 1990-03-30

Tracks:

Concerto No.1 For Piano & Orchestra, Op.11: I. Allegro Maestoso
Concerto No.1 For Piano & Orchestra, Op.11: II. Romanze: Larghetto
Concerto No.1 For Piano & Orchestra, Op.11: III. Rondo: Vivace
Concerto No.2 For Piano & Orchestra, Op.21: I. Maestoso
Concerto No.2 For Piano & Orchestra, Op.21: II. Larghetto
Concerto No.2 For Piano & Orchestra, Op.21: III. Allegro Vivace

Amazon.com

I suppose if I had to choose a single recording coupling both of Chopin's concertos, it would be this one. Perahia is a sensitive, extremely persuasive artist who understands his own particular gifts better than anyone. He's not a muscle-bound virtuoso by any means--neither was Chopin, for that matter. All of Perahia's interpretations are finely graded, carefully prepared, and sensitive to the music's every nuance, but they never sound stiff or studied. In fact, his natural eloquence and grace at the keyboard makes him an ideal Chopin pianist, though he has been very selective in the music that he has actually recorded. Here then is a superb example of artist and composer in perfect harmony with one another. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Old Muse.......2007-07-21

The piano is excellent, wonderful touch and flow. The orchestra sounds as if it is coming from another source without the same audio quality.

BORRING.......2007-06-16

Frankly Kissin's recording from when he was a child is more pleasing to listen to for me. Granted I believe that the F-Minor is better performed here than the E-Minor however I wouldn't tell anyone to buy this recording - the stars are great but, the recordings overall subpar - esspecially Concerto No. 1.

decent performance of the Chopin Concerti.......2006-02-09

I found this reading of the two Concerti very facile and nimble. I suppose this is appropriate for Chopin, but even still, some of the luxuriant, sensuous qualities could have been more emphasized.

Perahia's technique is indeed fluent, but perhaps a little too much so. For example, the development sections in the first movements of both Concerti are not dramatic enough.

I agree that Mehta's accompanying is weak.

Very nice Chopin.......2005-12-01

Not much to say about this magnificent performance. Perahia is superb, flowing, beautiful, lyrical. It is so wonderful to hear a pianist play with such lack of abruptness (listen to Zimmerman and Ax). Perahia has some of the nicest/cleanest trills and best left hand/right hand balance when playing unison. The slow movements in both of the concertos are just amazingly beautiful - Perahia is literally hovering/floating over the piano. To play so smoothly is a large technical feat. GREAT CD.

Magnificent Performance.......2005-10-31

I recently purchased this CD through Amazon.com. For a live performance, the audio quality of this CD is superb. While I admire any musician who tries to do justice to Chopin's intricate compositions, this performance is truly magnificent. Murray Perahia's rendition of both concerti is the best I've ever heard -- here is a man who really understands Chopin. I appreciate the fact that he interprets Chopin without imposing his own personality on the music -- and that is rare quality these days. As far as the performance of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra is concerned, no praise is necessary -- they are simply one of the best orchestras in the world, and their performance on this CD is up to their usual impeccable standards.

This is a must-have recording. I highly recommend it.

Average customer rating:

For the first, in E minor
A wise choice!
Worth every penny
A bargain worth owning

Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2
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Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto Op35; Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Op77

ASIN: B000003F4Q
Release Date: 1991-07-05

Tracks:

Concerto No. 1, Op. 11: Allegro Maestoso
Concerto No. 1, Op. 11: Romanze: Larghetto
Concerto No. 1, Op. 11: Rondo: Vivace
Concerto No. 2, Op. 21: Maestoso
Concerto No. 2, Op. 21: Larghetto
Concerto No. 2, Op. 21: Allegro Vivace

Customer Reviews:

For the first, in E minor.......2006-10-19

The E minor concerto is the reason to buy this CD, not the 2nd concerto in F minor.
My former favourite of the 1st concerto in E minor is Emil Gilels under the same conductor and orchestra, an earlier and more intense performance, but not as cozy and refined as the present one with Ax. Now I like both, the Ax/Ormandy and the Gilels/Ormandy. It is the first movement that gives such a kick by Gilels/Ormandy, whereas the Ax/Ormandy is better, warmer and - in one sense - more meaningful as a whole.

The 2nd in F minor however is not performed good enough. The reason for this opinion of mine is that I know it performed by Lamoureux Concert Association Orchestra with Clara Haskil at the piano, conducted by Igor Markevitch - a magic performance, both warm and yet with much more energy and joy! I have never come across anything that compares to it.
When it comes to the Perahia/Mehta-recording of both concertos, some reviewers claim that Mehta's conducting is a little lacklustre, so I don't take the risk of buying it. By the way, Clara Haskil and Markevitch don't leave anything to be desired as far as I am concerned. You shouldn't be without that one, although you get a lot "bonus-performences" with the buy, as it is one of many performances collected on two CDs for the price of one. Amazon-search: Favourite Piano Concertos, Vol.1.

A wise choice!.......2006-08-15

Emanuel Ax is actually one of the last champions pianists around Chopin `s work. His Chopin is far to be the traditional approach of languidness, soulful lyricism and tearful nostalgia. He adds heroic scope, bright glitter and that so missed sense of the span that seems an inexistent word in the lexicon of the great majority of the actual players.

His majestic playing is not only captivating but engaging. In past reviews I have told about my desert island choice: Samson Francois and Louis de Froment with the Luxembourg Orchestra. Nevertheless, this is a very attractive choice among the most distinguished, refined and filled of personality performances in the last years.

Go for this.

Worth every penny.......2002-04-03

I bought this album because it contains a piece I have long searched for. In the old movie, "Splash", there is a scene in which a music box containing tiny dancing figurines plays a lovely theme, which is then taken up and played in a variation for violins. This theme is the "Romance" of the Chopin piano concerto #1. It is sublimely rendered in this edition, and a delight to listen to the delicate cascades and flirtations. The entire collection, really, is a joy to hear again and again with its intricate and graceful themes.

A bargain worth owning.......2001-09-18

I am an unabashed fan of Chopin's E minor concerto. I grew up with the recording by Czerny-Stefanska, incorrectly attributed to Dinu Lipatti. Her style and temperament sets the tone for my preferences.

Emanuel Ax's recording has remained one of my favorites despite collecting many others. He communicates beautifully in this recording. There is a section toward the end of the first movement of the E minor that sounds to me as if the piano is pleading, or searching for sympathy and understanding. I often listen to that section to hear if the pianist can communicate that section well. Emanuel Ax touches me when he plays that section. He understands and conveys that message well. His second movement is lyrical and poignant and the last movement is played with seeming effortlessness, joy, playfulness and always with full attention to the singing quality of Chopin's writing. The F minor concerto is also very well performed.

My only reservation about this disc, and the one reason that I continued to search for other recordings after owning this one, is that at times the woodwinds sound out of tune when playing along with the piano. This is especially noticeable in the last movement of the E minor.

I found the recording by Garrick Ohlsson on Arabesque label to be equally satisfying, but that recording is full-price. I prefer Ax's recording to Zimerman's most recent recording (also full-price). I also prefer Ax's performance to Rubinstein's recording with Skrowaczewski (E minor), Perahia/ Mehta (though I prefer Perahia/ Mehta for the F minor concerto), Kissin's recording (although it is truly amazing given his tender age), Tirimo/ Glushcheko, Argerich/ Abbado, Argerich/ Dutoit, Simon/ Beissel (and I am a serious admirer of Abbey Simon's playing) and Pires/ Krivine (though this also has some beautiful playing, marred only by the lack of momentum at times). I even prefer it to my old Czerny-Stefanska recording. Ax's new recording with Mackerras cannot sustain my interest because I am disappointed by the sound of the period instrument. Otherwise his playing remains fine.

There are other well-known recordings that I do not own that deserve to be compared to Ax's recording (Zimerman/ Guilini and the early Pollini recording come to mind). I have heard both of these and I believe they do not displace Ax in my list of recommendations. I also own a true recording of Lipatti, a highly individual recording by Samson Francois on EMI, and a recording by Rosina Lhevinne. These are each fine accounts that spark interest in part because of their historical value, but do not displace Ax's performance.

Tracks:

Pno Con No.1 in e, Op.11: I. Allegro Maestoso
Pno Con No.1 in e, Op.11: II. Romance: Larghetto
Pno Con No.1 in e, Op.11: III. Rondo: Vivace
Pno Con No.2 in f, Op.21: I. Maestoso
Pno Con No.2 in f, Op.21: II. Larghetto
Pno Con No.2 in f, Op.21: III. Allegro Vivace

Customer Reviews:

Love it.......2007-04-12

This is definitely one of my all time favorite Chopin piano concerto recordings. I've purchased few copies for friends over the years and everyone loved it as much as I did.

Chopin #2 Interpreted by Weissenberg.......2006-12-08

I read the other reviews of this album and am disappointed that it was not more favorably received. I have three other interpreters (Perahia, Argerich and Ax all purchased from Amazon) so far - some mentioned by one reviewer and I find this reading by Weissenberg to be the most inspired and beautiful performance I've ever listened to of any music (and I've been a listener for over fifty years), especially the second movement of the 2nd concerto. I keep playing all the music from all four CD's and keep coming back to the Weissenberg as being the best. By all means buy the others. And compare them for yourself.

The interpretation of the second movement is haunting, eloquent, and lyrical. It reminds me of the parting, the sweet sorrow of two lovers, never to meet again, of the loss of a dear friend or relative. I have found nothing wrong with it. I am inspired by it - I paint portraits - and I'm put into a frame of mind that extracts more beauty from the paint brush touching the canvas when I listen to this CD.

Good Value Chopin But Fair-to-Midland Reading.......2005-03-25

At under $10 EMI's package of both Chopin piano concertos is a bargain to be sure, and a fine recording for anyone wishing an introduction to these particular pieces. However, should you enjoy this music consider it an appetizer to greater readings. Weissenberg's play is a bit forceful on the ivories and the orchestra accompanyment (Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire) is average at best. Overall the sound is satisfactory and clear.

For those looking for more definitive interpretations I would recommend Martha Argerich's performance of both concertos with the Montreal Symphony under Dutoit; Murray Perahia playing Concerto No. 1 with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of Zubin Mehta; or any of several readings by the final arbiter of Chopin, Artur Rubinstein. The Aergrich and Perahia recordings excell in technical excellence while Rubinstein, known to miss a note now and then, imparts unequaled feeling and emotion.

A bargain.......2005-03-17

Very good performances, pretty good sound, amazing pieces, and cheap. What more could you ask for?

Great performances by the greatest Chopin pianist........2003-08-02

Alexis Weissenberg, although not as famous as he deserved to be, was one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century -- equal or superior in both technique and artistry to all of the more famous "celebrity" pianists. Although Weissenberg gave outstanding performances in a wide range of repertoire, he was without peer in his performances of the music of Chopin. Weisenberg's performances of Chopin's two piano concertos, presented on this CD, transcend any others I have ever heard. Every lover of the music of Chopin -- indeed of classical music -- should have this superb bargain-priced disc in his or her collection and savor it regularly.

Average customer rating:

Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2
Davidovich , Marriner , and London Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Eloquence/Universal
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004Z1QH
Release Date: 2005-07-07

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No.1 In E Minor, Op.11
Piano Concerto No.2 In F Minor, Op.21

Average customer rating:

Itzhak Perlman Collection

Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000DOKC
Release Date: 1995-01-01

Average customer rating:

I'm confused
Beautifully played Chopin concertos.
A real bargain

Chopin: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000013KK
Release Date: 1992-06-30

Tracks:

Allegro Maestoso
Romance. Larghetto Rondo. Vivace
Maestoso
Larghetto
Allegro Vivace

Customer Reviews:

I'm confused.......2006-05-03

I don't see a rondo vivace in the first concerto. I was confused.

Beautifully played Chopin concertos........2000-06-26

Frederic Chopin composed only two piano concertos during his short life, in addition to the numerous etudes, impromptus, nocturnes, polonaises and other pieces he wrote for solo piano. Pianist Istvan Szekely and the Budapest Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Gyula Nemeth, give brilliant performances of both Chopin's piano concertos on this CD. Outer movements are played with typically Chopinesque warmth and freshness, and, in the finales of both concertos, a wonderful, Hungarian dancelike quality. Especially enjoyable to me are the slow movements, which are beautifully and elegantly played with the romantic and poetic quality for which Chopin was noted.

This CD was awarded three stars by the Penguin Guide to Compact Discs. (Three stars signify an outstanding performance and recording in every way.) It is also one of my personal favorites. Highly recommended!

A real bargain.......1999-01-31

For several years I've been listening to this concerts and I consider this the best interpretation of the nº1 concert. If you have opportunity listen the 10 to 14 minute of the Allegro maestoso and delight yourself...

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