Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Recorded live in 1983, Alfred Brendel's third go-round with these works drastically improves on his previous Beethoven concerto cycles. He finds a calmer, more direct route to the Emperor Concerto, although the Fourth's first movement is still pock-marked with finicky phrase adjustments that pull focus from the music's poetic arcs. Levine provides sympathetic and alert support, yet is much more than a mere deferential accompanist. --Jed Distler

Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos, Music, Ludwig van Beethoven, James Levine, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Alfred Brendel, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Concerto, Piano Concerto

Average customer rating:

Academic and expressive

Not first tier, but pretty decent nonetheless

A Warmer, More Expressive Brendel

Brendel & Levine - great performance

A first rate performance much preferable to his later work

Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos

Manufacturer: Philips
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
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Beethoven: Variations & Vignettes

ASIN: B0000041MN
Release Date: 1997-07-15

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 1 In C, Op. 15: I. Allegro con brio
Piano Concerto No. 1 In C, Op. 15: II. Largo
Piano Concerto No. 1 In C, Op. 15: III. Rondo: Allegro scherzando
Piano Concerto No. 2 In B-Flat, Op. 19: I. Allegro con brio
Piano Concerto No. 2 In B-Flat, Op. 19: II. Adagio
Piano Concerto No. 2 In B-Flat, Op. 19: III. Rondo: Molto allegro

Tracks:

Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37: I. Allegro con brio
Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37: II. Largo
Piano Concerto No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37: III. Rondo: Allegro
Piano Concerto No. 4 In G, Op. 58: I. Allegro moderato
Piano Concerto No. 4 In G, Op. 58: II. Andante con moto
Piano Concerto No. 4 In G, Op. 58: III. Rondo: Vivace

Tracks:

Piano Concert No. 5 In E-Flat, Op. 73 'The Emperor': I. Allegro
Piano Concert No. 5 In E-Flat, Op. 73 'The Emperor': II. Adagio un poco mosso
Piano Concert No. 5 In E-Flat, Op. 73 'The Emperor': III. Rondo: Allegro

Amazon.com

Recorded live in 1983, Alfred Brendel's third go-round with these works drastically improves on his previous Beethoven concerto cycles. He finds a calmer, more direct route to the Emperor Concerto, although the Fourth's first movement is still pock-marked with finicky phrase adjustments that pull focus from the music's poetic arcs. Levine provides sympathetic and alert support, yet is much more than a mere deferential accompanist. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Academic and expressive.......2005-05-31

Alfred Brendel is probably the most knowledgeable Beethoven interpreter that we have seen in the past half century along with Richard Goode. It also helps that he is a phenomenal pianist and chamber musician. When listening to these performances I got a sense of a warmer more intimate ideal for the works, not everywhere, it was as soloistic as these need to be, but the connection between melody and accompaniment was very well balanced right on par with Fleisher and Szell. Levine gives the music everything it needs and the Chicago Symphony plays wonderfully. The live recording gives these works a wonderful atmosphere and the audience is reverently silent. If you want to seek out individual performances of these concertos by all means do it but for a box set of them all I would recommend this as well as his more recent with Rattle, as well as Fleisher and Arrau. All of them are wonderful however this is by far the best live recording of these works. Highly recommended

Not first tier, but pretty decent nonetheless.......2003-10-24

Echoing another reviewer, I don't believe Brendel's third go-round with the Beethoven concerto cycle is on a par with Arrau or Ashkenazy, but it is by far Brendel's best effort, demonstrating lyricism that, unfortunately, one cannot always depend on. It is a worthy addition to the serious music lover's collection, although I would not want to make it my only resource for the Beethoven concerti.

A Warmer, More Expressive Brendel.......2001-04-04

Alfred Brendel doesn't come across as a meticulous craftsman, but instead, as a lyrical, joyful interpreter of Beethoven in this version of Beethoven's piano concerto cycle which he recorded with James Levine and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at the CSO's Ravinia Festival in the early 1980's. While this won't replace my recordings of Arrau, Perahia, Kovacevich or Ashkenazy performing these concerti, Brendel's third traversal is one of the best performed - and recorded - versions currently available. His warm, expressive playing reaches its peak in the last two concerti. Both Levine and the CSO are admirable, sympathetic accompanists. If you are looking for your first set of Beethoven piano concertos or your latest, then you certainly won't go wrong with these fine performances.

Brendel & Levine - great performance.......2000-07-27

Quite simply, Brendel & Levine create one of the most emotionally rewarding performances of the Beethoven piano concertos - especially the 4th concerto.

A first rate performance much preferable to his later work.......1999-03-31

In this release, Brendel again ventures - or should I say, ventured (back in 1983)? - forth on well-trodden ground, but his performance is defeinitely the best he has produced so far and much better than his recent live performances (BPO, VPO). It has a clarity and freshness that stands in sharp contrast to his later, more rigid and inflexilbe style. Levine and the CSO provide a perfect orchestral foil for his playing. The range and quality of sound are impeccable as well. (Wolfgang, from Vienna, Austria)

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Five Piano Concertos
Subtle and meaningful
Beethoven"s 5 piano concertos
Running an infinite gamut of emotions
If I were to become deaf, this is what I would hear

Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Beethoven: The Violin Sonatas
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Mozart: The Great Piano Concertos, Vol. 2

ASIN: B0000026O8
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In C Major, Op. 15: I. Allegro con brio (Cadence: Beethoven) - L.V. Beethoven
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In C Major, Op. 15: II. Largo - L.V. Beethoven
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In C Major, Op. 15: III. Rondo. Allegro scherzando - L.V. Beethoven
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In B-Flat Major, Op. 19: I. Allegro con brio (Cadenza: Beethoven) - L.V. Beethoven
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In B-Flat Major, Op. 19: II. Adagio - L.V. Beethoven
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In B-Flat Major, Op. 19: III. Rondo. Molto allegro - L.V. Beethoven

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37: I. Allegro con brio (Cadenza: Beethoven) - Beethoven
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37: II. Largo - Beethoven
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37: III. Rondo. Allegro - Beethoven
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 4 In G Major, Op. 58: I. Allegro moderato (Cadenza: Beethoven) - Beethoven
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 4 In G Major, Op. 58: II. Andante con moto - Beethoven
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 4 In G Major, Op. 58: III. Rondo. Vivace (Candenza: Beethoven) - Beethoven

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In E Flat Major, Op. 73 'Emperor': I. Allegro - Beethoven
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In E Flat Major, Op. 73 'Emperor': II. Adagio un poco mosso - Beethoven
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In E Flat Major, Op. 73 'Emperor': III. Rondo. Allegro - Beethoven

Customer Reviews:

Five Piano Concertos.......2007-01-04

Personally, I am not enough of a music wizard to be able to compare this CD with others producing the same concertos. It's beautiful, I hear no flaws, it sweeps me away.

Subtle and meaningful.......2006-11-30

There's no doubt that the reviewer Alexander Leach knows what he writes about, but contrary to Leach I think the present 4th is better than the 4th by Fleisher/Szell.
My humble opinion is that here we find the best performances of the concertos 3rd, 4th and 5th. (I am not especially interested in the 1st and 2nd.) Perahia/Haitink/Concertgebouw are supreme when it comes to meaning and subtility. Gramophone, I think, gave the 3rd and 4th the highest rating, three recordingsymbols, and in this case I agree fully.
Of course you can find more dominating piano voices, for example by Arrau (his 4th under Haitink, which I can fully enjoy, whereas I am not so happy with his later 4th under Davis). I love the well-structured, superior Richter-Haaser 3rd under Giulini more than any other, but that is unfortunatly not available on CD here (I got it from Japan). However non of these are able to put Perahia/Haitink out of business.
Perahia is a little low-key, I think. But the same can be said about Leon Fleisher under Szell. Anyway Concertgebouw under Haitink sounds much better than the Cleveland under Szell. And as I said, the present recordings are more meaningful as far as my ear can hear.
I've checked out the 4th by Gilels under Ludwig. Giles played wonderfully, but Ludwig is unfortunately not at par with him.

Beethoven"s 5 piano concertos.......2006-11-07

Murray Perahia's collaboration with Bernard Haitink is first-rate. He is never overwhelmed by the orchestra but is clear through all 5 concertos. The first two sound like Mozart concertos. With the third Beethoven begins to chart his own course. I personally enjoyed the first concerto which is less familiar than the later ones. The fourth and fifth really sing.

Running an infinite gamut of emotions.......2005-10-26

Having discovered and listened to Beethoven's nine symphonies at least ten thousand times during my teen years, his five piano concertos came into my life during a very particular moment. Along with Mozart's and Haydn's piano works, Beethoven's concertos constitute, for personal reasons, a body of work very, very dear to me.

Beethoven inherited from Mozart's 27 piano concertos a form so finely developed that one can naturally feel Mozart's influence on Beethoven during his first two concertos, where (I believe) he struggles to find his own identity. These two concertos have the soft, jovial side of Mozart's concerto style: they certainly are sublime at patches, but maybe not Beethoven's very best work (he wrote them in his early twenties).

The third concerto created something entirely new, which would serve as a model to later generations of composers (Brahms certainly being one of them). This is Beethoven's best (to me) piano concerto, certainly the most gentle and poetic and perhaps his very first "original" one not to be mistaken for a Mozart or Haydn concerto. Most of the time the solo instrument is soft and lyrical, while the orchestra is severe and sometimes fierce, the piano eventually softening and subduing the orchestra, with the two melting together into an exuberant, magnificent finale.

The fourth concerto is perhaps the most unusual one. This one constitutes an example of the transcendence of form: for the very first time in the history of form the solo instrument opens a concerto alone. The second movement is simply a dialogue between piano and strings. And towards the concerto's finale, drums, trumpets and wind instruments, which had been silent during the entire second movement and most of the first one, burst out in a joyful explosion.

The fifth concerto, "The Emperor", is the most popular one nowadays and has always been. This one is almost completely different from his four siblings. My favorite Beethoven concerto, along with the third one.

Beethoven's five Piano Concertos are certainly up there with Mozart's piano works. I have caught myself many a time running the gamut of all possible kind of facial expressions, from melancholy to extasy, while listening to these sublime concertos. One thing I'd like to stress though: the great Ludwig Van went on to live and write magnificent music for twenty years after having finished his fifth and last piano concerto, never to write a sixth one, thus leaving us with only five of them. What a shame!

If I were to become deaf, this is what I would hear.......2003-04-19

This recording is simply amazing. The way Perahia plays each note in such a way that notes no longer exist but ooze out as sugary themes piqued by sweet harmonics which in themselves become the theme, over and over again, like undulating waves upon a lake. The 3rd and 4th are my favorites. The recordings are perfectly clear, limited only by your own hardware--speakers, wires, etc. The piano itself rings with perfect tonality. What can on say except that these recordings are sheer perfection. A definite buy.

Average customer rating:

Good old Serkin and confident Ozawa

Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos
Seiji Ozawa , Ludwig van Beethoven , Boston Symphony Orchestra , and Rudolf Serkin
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 5 "Emperor"
Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos

ASIN: B000003CSQ
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Allegro Con Brio
Largo
Rondo: Allegro Scherzando
Allegro Con Brio
Adagio
Rondo: Molto Allegro

Tracks:

Allegro Con Brio
Largo
Rondo: Allegro
Allegro Moderato
Andante Con Moto
Rondo: Vivace

Tracks:

Allegro
Adagio Un Poco Mosso
Rondo: Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Good old Serkin and confident Ozawa.......1999-12-21

The other day I came across this set and thougt: why not add yet another set of the Beethoven's to my collection. And this came out to be a good move. Serkin playes at a rather slow tempo at some points but irresistably lyrikal. His playing is full of thougt and the clearness in the sound is brilliant. I knew Serkin's Beethoven before but Ozawa not as well. Ozawa is truly a great conductor although I find both Abbado and Klemperer more Beethovenian in these works. The gratest thing about this set is Serkin's own style of phrasing. You'll truly discover something new in these works by hearing them performed by the good old Serkin.

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Itzhak Perlman Collection

Manufacturer: EMI
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Toccatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B00000DOKC
Release Date: 1995-01-01

Beethoven: Five Piano Concertos - Joshua Pierce

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Tremendous!

Beethoven: Five Piano Concertos - Joshua Pierce

Manufacturer: MSR Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000H9I1LY
Release Date: 2006-08-01

Tracks:

BEETHOVEN: Concerto No.4, Op.58 - Allegro moderato
BEETHOVEN: Concerto No.4, Op.58 - Andante con moto
BEETHOVEN: Concerto No.4, Op.58 - Rondo. Vivace
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No.5, Op.73 - Allegro
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No.5, Op.73 - Andante con moto
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No.5, Op.73 - Rondo. Allegro
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No.2, Op.19 - Rondo
BEETHOVEN: Rondo in B-flat, WoO6, Op.Posth

Product Description

The Beethoven that looms so large on our musical landscape is Beethoven the Composer. It was Beethoven, after all, who defined the modern idea of who and what a composer is. But the 22-year-old young man who arrived in Vienna in 1792 was about to make a slightly different reputation in the salons of that music-loving city. Beethoven was a keyboard player and he was about to stake his claim to be the best pianist in town. This was no mean feat in a city that was said to have had 300 pianists-in-residence and thousands of piano students, many of them the offspring of the best families. Favorite pianists were like prizefighters or rappers. Each man had his patrons and followers and Beethoven often had to defend his title in pianistic matches or duels that were held regularly in the houses of the aristocracy. What did Beethoven sound like? The first thing we have to realize is that the piano of BeethovenÂ’s day Â– we would call it a fortepiano Â– was a much lighter instrument than the modern concert grand and the virtuosi of the late eighteenth century affected a refined and elegant style that worked very well on these instruments. Beethoven, on the other hand, pushed the fortepiano to its very limits. His playing struck his contemporaries with its power and its brilliance as well its emotional resonance. In fact, BeethovenÂ’s style triggered the development of more rugged and more powerful instruments, an evolution that started in his own lifetime and which eventually led to the modern grand piano. But there is something else. When we think of Beethoven the pianist we have to put out of our minds the traditional image of the classical pianist playing revered old music to a hushed and reverent public. The music Beethoven played was contemporary music. Most of it was his own music and, as far as we can tell, much of it was made up on the spot. In short, Beethoven, like a jazz pianist, made himself famous by improvising new music in the homes of the Viennese nobility where he was a welcome guest. Many of these aristocrats became his patrons, supporters and even friends and their names are liberally sprinkled as dedicatees throughout the title pages of his publications: Prince Karl Lichnowsky, Princess Christiane Lichnowsky, Count Johann Georg von Browne-Camus, Prince Franz Joseph Lobkowitz, Archduke Rudolph, Count Andreas Razumofsky, Count Moritz Fries, Baron Gottfried van Swieten, Count Waldstein, the Brunsvicks and the Brentanos. Indeed, no composer before or after ever! had such a list of princely supporters as did this strange, swarthy, prowling, difficult, improvising maestro of the keyboard.

Customer Reviews:

Tremendous!.......2007-03-20

I have listened to this set over and over, and each time, I hear more of the nuance in Pierce's playing, especially in Piano Concerto #4. And the Finale of the First Concerto, has a clarity to it I have not heard before. I love this set. It's lyrically exhilarating! An amazing series. an amazing CD.

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500 Classic Masterpieces

Manufacturer: Vox (Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00008FZWM
Release Date: 1992-11-04

Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos ~ Valdimir Ashkenazy ~The Cleveland Orchestra

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Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos ~ Valdimir Ashkenazy ~The Cleveland Orchestra

Manufacturer: London
ProductGroup: Classical
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000GI4P98

Product Description

On this 3-CD set, Beethoven's Five Piano Concertos plus the Choral Fantasy, op. 80 are played by Vladimir Ashkenazy and The Cleveland Orchestra. 1988 London Records.

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Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos

Manufacturer: Musical Heritage Society
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B0002JW07U

Product Description

Original Philips label recordings.

Ludwig van Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos - Steven Lubin / The Academy of Ancient Music / Christopher Hogwood

Average customer rating:

A brilliant work of art!
Thought Provoking Beethoven
Transparent textures, good balance.

Ludwig van Beethoven: The Five Piano Concertos - Steven Lubin / The Academy of Ancient Music / Christopher Hogwood
Ludwig van Beethoven , Christopher Hogwood , Steven Lubin , and The Academy of Ancient Music
Manufacturer: Polygram Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000004CXO
Release Date: 1988-06-13

Tracks:

Pno Con No.1 in C: I Allegro con brio
Pno Con No.1 in C: II Largo
Pno Con No.1 in C: III Rondo: Allegro
Pno Con No.2 in B flat: I Allegro con brio
Pno Con No.2 in B flat: II Adagio
Pno Con No.2 in B flat: III Rondo: Molto allegro

Tracks:

Pno Con No.3 in c: I Allegro con brio
Pno Con No.3 in c: II Largo
Pno Con No.3 in c: III Rondo: Allegro
Pno Con No.4 in G: I Allegro moderato
Pno Con No.4 in G: II Andante con moto
Pno Con No.4 in G: III Rondo: Vivace

Tracks:

Pno Con No.5 in E flat: I Allegro
Pno Con No.5 in E flat: II Adagio un poco mosso
Pno Con No.5 in E flat: III Rondo: Allegro

Amazon.com essential recording

At present this is the only available set of Beethoven's piano concertos on period instruments, although others are in progress. The lean sound of the small ensemble enables you to clearly hear countless details that are obscured on even the best modern orchestra recordings. Steven Lubin's performances, and the different instruments he uses, are carefully attuned to the qualities of each individual concerto. His performances are triumphs of insight and expressiveness, and Hogwood makes sure the orchestra stays with him in every detail. My only major complaint about this set is that the wasted space on the third disc, which contains only the Emperor Concerto, should have been used for more Beethoven. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

A brilliant work of art!.......2003-04-23

One can only aspire to play Beethoven's great piano concertos with the delicate balance, emotion and musicality that Steven Lubin shows so wonderfully here. This recording is made even more a delight to listen to because Lubin plays the various concertos on the period instruments that they were intended for. As a classical pianist myself, I've listened to countless recordings of Beethoven's concertos, and this is BY FAR my favorite. Other artists may bluster through these concertos, but Lubin has a purity of sound and understated brilliance that can't be beat. Order this one up (there should be new midrange-release soon), and you won't be disappointed. Easily one of my favorite CD's of my entire classical collection (which runs to the 100's), period!

Thought Provoking Beethoven.......2002-02-27

have had this set since it was first issued and have been delighted with it since. The performances are brilliantly recorded and played. Perhaps the most interesting part of these concertos is that Steven Lubin uses a different piano in each, an instrument that Beethoven would have know when he wrote these works. The use of different pianos brings us as close as possible to the sound the composer would have known. In this regard, we learn a lot about the development of the piano.

I recall there was a reviewer who thought Hogwood took the Fifth concerto too fast but I think the performance speaks otherwise. As notes here, the only drawback is that the Fifth concerto sits alone on the third disc. It would have been better had the Choral Fantasy been included or some other work that would that would better fill out the disc. However, the lack of additional music would never change my mind about buying this set. Strongly recommended.

Transparent textures, good balance........1999-01-20

It is refreshing to hear these pieces played on the types of instruments that Beethoven heard. The transparent sound of the fortepiano adds great clarity, and the period winds add wonderful character. The piano is recorded at a good level--not overpowering, not drowned by the orchestra--making these pieces have the intimacy of chamber music. Highly recommended!