Solomon Plays Brahms

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Solomon's cultivated, stylish playing in the First Concerto may lack the fiery thrust of Serkin or Fleisher, yet he surprises you with his menacing trills and effortless octave playing in the first movement. The pianist's stunning Handel Variations, recorded in 1942, shine with bracing rhythmic momentum and cumulative power. --Jed Distler

Tracks:

I. Maestoso-Poco Piu Moderato
II. Adagio
III. Rondo (Allegro Non Troppo)
Aria
Variation 1
Variation 2
Variation 3
Variation 4
Variation 5
Variation 6
Variation 7
Variation 8
Variation 9
Variation 10
Variation 11
Variation 12
Variation 13
Variation 14
Variation 15
Variation 16
Variation 17
Variation 18
Variation 19
Variation 20
Variation 21
Variation 22
Variation 23
Variation 24
Variation 23
Fugue

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Solomon's cultivated, stylish playing in the First Concerto may lack the fiery thrust of Serkin or Fleisher, yet he surprises you with his menacing trills and effortless octave playing in the first movement. The pianist's stunning Handel Variations, recorded in 1942, shine with bracing rhythmic momentum and cumulative power. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

simply stunning.......2006-04-01

The previous reviewer is absolutely spot on. Solomon is a peerless performer of Brahms. His interpretation is perfect, every phrase articulated matchlessly and with complete precision, and so - to use a hackneyed old cliche that nevertheless says it all - has, for me, made hearing this piece again like hearing it for the first time. I can also recommend the popular Gilels performances, but as I see it Solomon, the Philharmonia and Kubelik (who is brilliant - I will have to hear more of his work) have made the definitive recording here.

Brahms: Piano Concerto #1 in D minor with Solomon, pianist.......2003-06-17

While this recording is older than many currently available, it is by far the superior one in several respects. First, Kubelik knows how to make an orchestra work and second, Solomon knows how to play the piano in such a way as to be in a class all by himself. No one has really captured the overall grandeur of this magnificent concerto quite the way Solomon has. The first movement has a power of expression rooted in a depth of complete musical control rarely found in any pianist, i.e. tonal beauty and control, dynamics & balance. The second movement in this recording is unsurpassed by any other recording commercially available. Solomon's ability to give tension to a musical phrase by playing the fewest number of notes in the longest span of time is unrivalled and Kubelik is right there with him. For sheer beauty of piano tone at any level of dynamic there is not another pianist like him in the 20th century. The third movement has a fire not often found in the playing of others and the tempo of the fugue is absolutely breathtaking as it rushes forward to the arpeggio on the dominant at the end, an arpeggio which creates a sonority and blend in Solomon's hands unmatched in any other recording. Brahms could not be better served in this concerto than this performance.

Average customer rating:

Still the best
Brahms 2

Solomon Plays Brahms
Johannes Brahms , Issay Alexandrovich Dobroven , and Solomon Cutner
Manufacturer: Testament
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Solomon Plays Brahms

ASIN: B000003XIO
Release Date: 1994-09-13

Amazon.com

Solomon's was an "art that conceals art." He was blessed with a transcendent technique which never called attention to itself, an aristocratic style that eschewed idiosyncrasies, and an understated approach that directly communicated the music's emotional weight. His performance of the massive Brahms Concerto is suffused with warmth and romanticism, yet never breaks the classical boundaries of the work. Flowing tempos keep the tension at a high level, and Solomon is superb in conveying the grandeur as well as the poetry. The Philharmonia in 1947 was a great orchestra and they contribute mightily to the excellence of this disc. Solomon's as good in the Rhapsody No. 2 and two late intermezzos that serve as welcome fillers. --Dan Davis

Amazon.com

Recordings of the Brahms concertos by the one-name British pianist were available in several LP editions. You can always count on his recordings to stress poetry and expressiveness above virtuosity, and so this mellow performance does. Sviatoslav Richter, Artur Rubinstein, and Wilhelm Backhaus may bring more excitement to the music, but Solomon is no slouch, and the big moments are impressively grand while the slow movement sings most beautifully. Dobrowen, who also conducted the concertos with Schnabel, makes the orchestra a major factor in this well-balanced mono recording. The solo pieces, the last of them previously unpublished, are also beautifully played. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

Still the best.......2005-02-19

I've had this performance since it was issued on LP in the 1960s, and it has always ranked as one of records I'd grab first if I had 30 seconds to clear the house. No, it isn't a modern recording but the sound is more than acceptable and the ear quickly adjusts. As for the performance itself, it convinces from the first note and combines fire with poetry in exactly the right proportions. Hear the opening of the second movement for the former, the dreamy drift into the slow movement recapitulation for the latter. Above all, the intense concentration of all participants comes through and makes the work feel far shorter than its forty-odd minutes. I've heard many, not all, of the famous recordings of the past 40 years of this work. For me, Gilels runs it closest but Solomon continues to stand alone. That singing tone is unique and emerges from the limitations of 1940's technology with colours intact. Incidentally, don't be put off by the relative obscurity of the conductor. He's in charge of the Philharmonia at its peak and does the orchestra full justice. Interplay between Solomon and the various soloists in the andante, particularly cellist Haydn Rogerson, is magical. Coordination between conductor and soloist throughout is exemplary. I'm not a historical recordings freak. For me, a performance has to be absolutely outstanding to compensate for the sonic shortcomings of the 78 era. This one is.

Brahms 2.......2002-07-20

I first heard this work played by Bachaus with Schuricht the VPO. Other recordings at this level are by Richter and Pollini. But the most convincing of all is Solomon's made in 1948. Of course the sound is nothing like more recent recordings but the performance remain unequalled - ranking with Solomon's Beethoven's 3rd with Boult and his Hammeklavier.

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Heifetz Plays Brahms, Bach, Mozart

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
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Sibelius, Prokofiev, Glazunov: Violin Concertos
Heifetz: Beethoven & Brahms Concertos (Beethoven: Concerto for violin in D; Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Op77)

ASIN: B000003EQ9
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks: