Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 4

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
There are three protagonists here: Uchida, Sanderling, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Each makes an equal contribution to the success of this outstanding disc, surely the finest versions of this music yet to appear in digital sound. Uchida brings her vast experience as a Mozart performer to these two very Mozartean piano concertos, but she also understands the need to project Beethoven's extra measure of fire and intensity. Sanderling is an old pro; he accompanies with rock-like solidity. And the orchestra seems to be listening to the performance with total concentration. Add to this powerful combination absolutely gorgeous sound, and the result is unforgettable. --David Hurwitz

Amazon.com

These are aggressive, somewhat eccentric readings of these concerti. They are given performances of real fire, and Pletnev takes interesting liberties with dynamics. Sudden passages of very loud or very soft playing ensure that we will not be bored. At times he uses rubato the way an Italian tenor might, which is to say, interestingly but with dubious taste. There is a moment in the First Concerto's Largo that is taken so slowly it sounds as if something might have gone wrong with the CD. It appears that Pletnev has approached both of these works as exemplars of high Romanticism, whereas the first, in particular, looks back to Mozart. This is not to say that he does not play impeccably. His tone is always handsome and no matter how loudly he plays, he never distorts. Whether or not one agrees with his "re-interpretations," it is impossible not to be riveted. Pletnev says in the accompanying notes that his wish is that "every scream, every moment of joy" in the music "should be lived through as it's lived in our real lives." Those who know these concerti well might be surprised at how many screams Pletnev finds. The orchestra plays with great transparency under Christian Gansch. Nothing if not entertaining. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Pletnev on Beethoven 1 & 3.......2007-05-30

Pletnev is superb and the Russian orchestra is the best I have heard.

Distinctive, Imaginative Playing from Pletnev and the RNO in these two Beethoven piano concerti.......2007-03-28

Mikhail Pletnev has earned ample praise for his thoughtful, distinctive style of playing, never one to adhere strictly to time-worn traditions or the latest trends, such as period instrument-informed performance. Indeed, in the liner notes, Pletnev is quoted as saying that period instrument-informed performance is an idea that he regards as "ultimately self-defeating, because no great composer was ever satisfied with the instruments that he had at his disposal". Here he has embarked on a series of Deutsche Grammophon recordings recorded live late last year at the Beethovenfest in Bonn, Germany (Beethoven's birthplace) playing the entire Beethoven piano concerti cycle and conducting the entire Beethoven symphony cycle with the orchestra he founded, the Russian National Orchestra, which has earned ample worldwide acclaim inspite of its youth.

His playing of both Beethoven concerti is like none other that I've heard recently from the likes of Aimard, Brendel, Schiff, or Vogt to name but a few. While he adheres to Classical tradition only in soft, subtle playing of the keys where it is required, its mostly a fiery Slavic Romantic interpretation which we hear from him, in which he emphasizes loud, dramatic playing. His fiery, incandescent interpretation of the 1st Piano Concerto stands in stark contrast to a more elegant, refined interpretation I had heard earlier this month at Carnegie Hall from Martha Argerich accompanied by the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit. Hers was a strictly Classical interpretation emphasizing the score's stylistic ties to Mozart's last, great piano concerti. In Pletnev's hands, the 3rd Piano Concerto receives a similar treatment, in which he emphasizes sudden changes in tempi and sound, such as in dramatic shifts between soft and loud playing, emphasizing a more Romantic connection to this work, than acknowledging its late Classical origins. While Pletnev adheres faithfully to the notes of Beethoven's scores, his style of playing is more improvisational, and thus perhaps more riveting, than other, more recent interpretations of both concerti that I have heard either live or in recordings.

I haven't heard of conductor Christian Gansch before, but he does an excellent job conducting the Russian National Orchestra in two performances that do acknowledge period instrment practice, but only to a certain extent, especially in the lean textures articulated by the wind and string sections. Indeed critic David Gutman observes in the liner notes that the Russian National Orchestra "combines lean-toned intimacy with darker Slavic sonorities. The authenticity sought is emotional, its only requirement to make the music live again for us in the here and now."

Needless to say the sound quality of this CD is superb, up to the usual high standards one expects from Deutsche Grammophon, even though this CD is from a live concert performance. I eagerly await the release of the rest of Pletnev's Beethoven piano concerto cycle, and his turns at the podium in conducting Beethoven symphonies. But I would recommend this CD as a viable, dramatic alternative to those interested in hearing a splendid recent recording of these two Beethoven piano concerti, not as a primary recommendation, even though it still earns high praise for me. For primary recommendations, I would recommend instead recordings made by Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Claudio Arrau (either of his Philips cycles), Alfred Brendel (especially from his first or second Philips cycles), Murray Perahia, and Andras Schiff.

An imagiinative triumph for Pletnev.......2007-03-14

Listening to the thousand-and-one tinkerings that Mikhail Pletnev makes in the simple Concerto #1 of Beethoven, I was reminded that this quirky artist feels free to embellish any composer, including Beethoven. You find this either irritatingly intrusive or delightfully imaginative. There are days when I can't decide which. Here the overall results are undeniably appealing, however. We know that Beethoven improvised freely at the keyboard, and althoug Pletnev doesn't add new notes, he improvises the feeling of the music, tending toward a romantic sprightliness. He makes phrases erupt, then whisper. He races around corners where other pianists don't realize that corners exist.

It's helpful that most of these expressive turns are on the micro scale. You won't hear gross distortions, and Pletnev's rubato isn't totally extreme (it comes close, though). The Concerto #3 is considered bigger and more romantic than the First, an entry into mature Beethoven, but Pletnev is light and playful in both works. I don't know his accompanist, conductor Christian Gansch, but he's a find. He gets very lovely, imaginative playing from the Russian National Orch., and DG's sound is excellent.

It all adds up to a novel, highly enjoyable version of two familiar works that Pletnev hears in unfamiliar ways.

Average customer rating:

Refreshing Variations from Perahia, Concertgebouw
Perahia's Masterful Beethoven
wonderfully lively
I actually like these performances!
Haitink didn't get the job done this time

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 4

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Grieg: Lyric Pieces / Emil Gilels

ASIN: B00000262P
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Concerto No. 3 For Piano & Orchestra, Op. 37 (C Minor): I - Allegro con brio
Concerto No. 3 For Piano & Orchestra, Op. 37 (C Minor): II - Largo
Concerto No. 3 For Piano & Orchestra, Op. 37 (C Minor): III - Rondo: Allegro
Concerto No. 4 For Piano & Orchestra, Op. 58 (G Major): I. Allegro moderato
Concerto No. 4 For Piano & Orchestra, Op. 58 (G Major): I - Andante con moto
Concerto No. 4 For Piano & Orchestra, Op. 58 (G Major): III - Rondo vivace

Customer Reviews:

Refreshing Variations from Perahia, Concertgebouw .......2005-03-22

It is with good reason that the 2005 Gramophone Guide to Classical CDs lists this among their most praised versions of Beethoven Concertos 3 and 4. Indeed Perahia's entire Beethoven concerto cycle ranks with Kempff as among the best avaialble. (I personally recommend Perahia or Rubinstein for Concertos 1, 2 and 4; Kempff for 1-4; Serkin for 3 and 5; Richter for 5.) The lighter, chamber quality of the Haitink's Concertgebouw offers a nice variation from the standard, more heavy orchestral execution of these pieces. This gives both pieces the more intiment feeling of a recital than a concert hall. Perahia's interpretations are deft and appealing. This is an excellent recording. Perahia perhaps shines most in the Fourth, where power is effectively balanced with appropriate delicacy. While always technically proficient, Perahia's performance does not eschew the emotional investment we've come to expect from his Mozart, Richter's Prokofiev, or Rubinstein's Chopin.

Perahia's Masterful Beethoven.......2001-08-01

One is lost for words when faced with music making of this calibre. Perahia's perfect sense of phrasing, his poetry, his wondrous control of tone production, his powerful sense of drama and his lyricism, never resorting to bombast or histrionics, make this without a doubt one of the great recorded couplings of these two works. And Haitink's broad, contemplative readings, while never lacking thrust or impetus, show us both sides of Beethoven's character; not just the virtuosic showman, but also Beethoven the philosopher and poet. A fine example of this is in the 4th's central movement. Nowhere else has Liszt's description of this elusive music, 'Orpheus taming the Furies' seemed more apt then here; the breathtaking purity and transluscent milkiness of Perahia's perfectly shaped lines gradually embue the grave and tragic utterances of the orchestra to leniancy.

This is a must. Among the greatest Beethoven recordings of the last 20 years.

wonderfully lively.......2000-11-16

What I like about this album is that Perahia here is trying to express something inexplicable, with his right hand touch and shaping, of the overtone sometimes milky but always potently articulated and weighed to different pitches and nuance, one sounds like almost peculiarly Perahian. It is really fine that way, trying rather to do something with right hand, uniquely perahian better than to do away with others things that perhaps his contemporaries share. I know he likes Mieczyslaw Horszowski, and has similarity with Rudolf Serkin (in his early Beethoven recordings in the 1950's) in my view this Beethoven 4th Concerto share the same 'teeth' as it were trying to make sense out of urgent issues such that Beethoven might have wanted to express rather explicitly in the 4th Concerto. Though Perahia here balance things out, not with one continuous blow contiguously fired upon in an even scale and scope of the whole movement expressed as Rudolf Serkin does in his early days, perahian thinking and methodology would prevail here in much the same concept as what stems the ground or essentials, with much different approach that here argued on his usage of his right hand, peculiarly potent, but always effective as conveyance to his other attributes that make up the whole, almost a lot of ground to cover the what is perhaps a weak link to this wonderfully lively sculptor, that what have not been sought, in others words, have sort its way out into one terrific gesture of accommodation and perhaps most effective compromises. His right hand to me is a powerful tool or outlet enabling him to express the inexpressible. His left hand too is very powerful and sustained with control so that it hardly runs out of breath, nor punch, maybe much is alike with Maurizio Pollini's, high calibre left hand presence thereby rendered.

Concerto No. 3 accompanied with 4th is ideal in its layout not missing anything essential nor structure of the work dissipates with breathing sequences in the given work. All details that would sustain the momentum has scrupulously laid out open in one sequence after another, orderly way, many details have judiciously set themselves forth not compromising the integrity of structure (in the third movement toward the end). Perahia here also adopts in the first movement Beethoven's own cadenza in which he shows some of the pyrotechnic. No nonsense direction from Bernard Hatink and balance engineers too have made this record more valuable outside the scope of my review.

I actually like these performances!.......2000-08-14

Apparently Perahia's crystalline Beethoven is not to everyone's taste. If you're looking for rugged Beethoven, you would do better to look elsewhere. What I find impressive about these Perahia interpretations, however, is their classical restraint, taking the form of carefully molded phrasing, which comes across to some as aloofness. This restraint is necessary in preserving Perahia's crystalline purity of tone. NOBODY can match Perahia in the evenness and leggiero touch of his scales in the Third Concerto, for example. The legendary performances of the past are irreplaceable but these are uniquely special too! As for the sound, there is a definite preference for a concert hall perspective here: the mikes are placed at a reasonable distance in a reverberant acoustic, which INCREASES dynamic range by properly conveying pianissimos in contrast to the tutti moments. Perhaps others prefer close-up recording balances but I like how these recordings convey sonic details in realistic perspective.

Haitink didn't get the job done this time.......2000-04-12

I am a big Haitink admirer, but this set is pretty bland, with little dynamic range and color and performances by Perahia that just skate on the surface of the music, even in deep, probing concerti like the 4th. The reviewer below who said Beethoven was his own man by the time of the C minor concerto has got it wrong: this is *the* most Mozartean of all Beethoven's concerti. It's a fact that Beethoven modeled it after Mozart's own C minor, which Beethoven admired boundlessly. (To his friend Kremer: "Listen to that! *We* shall never do anything like that." And he didn't.) The fire necessary even for minor-key Mozart is absent from these pedestrian readings, and Perahia gives everything the same monotonous glass sheen. There are so many competative sets out there one wonders why this has stayed in print for so long. Haitink's wonderful collaboration with Arrau has just come back into print, and even here you have to buy it as part of a 14-disc comprehensive Beethoven set. Worth it, but pricy!

Average customer rating:

Mostly Magnificent Menuhin, with a Few Reservations

The Violinist
Yehudi Menuhin , Johann Sebastian Bach , Bela Bartok , Ludwig van Beethoven , Alban Berg , Johannes Brahms , Max Bruch , Arcangelo Corelli , Edward Elgar , Franz Joseph Haydn , Edouard Lalo , Felix Mendelssohn , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , Carl Nielsen , Niccolo Paganini , Camille Saint-Saens , Jean Sibelius , Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky , Michael Tippett , Henri Vieuxtemps , Antonio Vivaldi , William Walton , Alberto Lysy , Anatole Fistoulari , Antal Dorati , Anthony Bernard , Gaston Poulet , John Pitchard , Mogens Woldike , Pierre Boulez , and Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Schubert: 8 Symphonies

ASIN: B0000BWTKJ
Release Date: 2003-11-04

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Affettuoso
III. Allegro
I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Allegro Assai
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Allegro Assai
I. Vivace
II. Largo Ma Non Tanto
III. Allegro

Tracks:

Rhapsody No. 2 (Lassu [Moderato] - Friss [Allegro Moderato])
I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Andante Tranquillo
III. Allegro Molto
I. Andante
I. Allegretto (Scherzando)
II. Allegro
II. Adagio

Tracks:

Romance No. 1 In G Major
I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo (Cadenza: Kreisler)
II. Larghetto
III. Rondo (Allegro) (Cadenza: Kreisler)
I. Allegro Moderato
II. Adagio
III. Finale (Allegro Energico)

Tracks:

Romance No. 2 In F Major, Op. 50
I. Allegro Non Troppo (Cadenza: Kreisler)
II. Adagio
III. Allegro Giocoso, Ma Non Troppo Vivace - Poco Piu Presto
I. Allegro Molto Appassionato
II. Andante
III. Allegretto Non Troppo - Allegro Molto Vivace

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Andante
III. Allegro Molto
I. Andante Tranquillo
II. Presto Capriccioso Alla Napolitana & Trio (Canzonetta)
III. Vivace

Tracks:

I. Allegro Moderato (Cadenza: Menuhin)
II. Adagio Molto
III. Finale (Presto) (Cadenza: Menuhin)
I. Allegro
II. Andante Cantabile
III. Rondo (Andante Grazioso - Allegro Ma Non Troppo)
I. Allegro Maestoso
II. Andante
III. Presto

Tracks:

I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Scherzando (Allegro Molto)
III. Intermezzo (Allegretto Non Troppo)
IV. Andante
V. Rondo (Allegro)
I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Andantino Quasi Allegretto
III. Molto Moderato E Maestoso - Allegro Non Troppo
Introduction & Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 28
Havanaise, Op. 83

Tracks:

I. Allegro Maestoso (Cadenza: Emile Sauret)
II. Adagio Espressivo
III. Rondo (Allegro Spiritoso)
I. Andante - Moderato - Cadenza
II. Adagio Religioso
III. Scherzo (Vivace) & Trio
IV. Finale (Allegro)
I. Allegro Non Troppo
II. Cadenza
III. Adagio
IV. Allegro Con Fuoco

Tracks:

Serenade Melancolique
I. Allegro Moderato
II. Adagio Di Molto
III. Allegro Ma Non Tanto
I. Praeludium (Largo)
I. Allegro Cavalleresco
II. Intermezzo (Poco Adagio)
II. Rondo (Allegretto Scherzando)

Tracks:

I. Allegro
II. Largo
III. Allegro
I. Allegro Non Molto
II. Adagio
III. Presto
I. Allegro
II. Adagio
III. Allegro
I. Allegro Non Molto
II. Largo
III. Allegro
I. Vivace - Allegro - Adagio - Vivace - Allegro - Largo Andante
II. Allegro
III. Grave - Andante Largo - Allegro
Fantasia Concertante On A Theme Of Corelli

Customer Reviews:

Mostly Magnificent Menuhin, with a Few Reservations.......2004-01-06

The recent trend toward classical box sets focusing on the performer instead of the composer (see my reviews of the various DG/Decca "Original Masters" sets) continues with EMI's new "Yehudi Menuhin - The Violinist." Sure EMI's past sets have showcased individual performances by Samson Francois, Eugen Jochum and Rudolf Kempe to name a few, but it was always under the heading of a given composer's works, and in the cases mentioned above, to Chopin's piano pieces, Bruckner's Symphonies and Strauss' Orchestral Works respectively. Therefore, this Menuhin collection is the first of EMI's "Budget Box Sets" to showcase a performer playing the works of a variety of composers.

As Menuhin was an EMI recording artist for an incredible 68 years (1931-99), his performances for the label number in the hundreds. With so much music from which to choose, this 10-disc set aims "to highlight some of those alternative versions, including recordings that have not been easily available since the days of LP and others that have never previously appeared on CD." Therefore, the obvious mainstream, easily attainable recordings are omitted here -- for example, the Beethoven/Mendelssohn VCs with Furtwangler, the Elgar VC with the composer conducting, and the Bruch/Mendelssohn VCs with Susskind and Kurtz.

However, a lot of this material has been on disc before on titles which the serious collector most likely already owns. Most of the Bach is currently available as part of the Bach "Budget Box Series" title. The Bruch, Mendelssohn, Brahms and Vivaldi VCs were all available in the now out-of-print 2CD EMI Seraphim series. The Elgar and the Walton are still available in the "British Composers" series. And perhaps most annoyingly, the previously unpublished Beethoven VC and Tchaikovsky "Serenade melancolique" (available as a single disc), and the Beethoven Romance No. 2 (available on an EMI Encore title) were both reissued just a few months back.

But let's focus on the positive, which are the other rare performances, the most significant being the never before reissued 1954 performance of Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 4 with John Pritchard and the Philharmonia. Other elusive recordings include Viuextemps and Paganini VCs with Fistoulari, Lalo and Saint-Saens works with Goossens, and excellent Berg and Bartok accounts with Boulez. Though I'm delighted at their inclusion, of lesser importance is a 1965 Bartok VC No. 2 with Dorati -- his mono EMI with Furtwangler and an earlier account with Dorati on Mercury Living Presence are far superior. Also, neither the Sibelius (Boult, 1955) nor Nielsen (Woldike, 1952) Concertos are truly Menuhin's cups of tea.

My last complaint has to do with the packaging. I know I'm being rather trite but it seems that EMI has taken the "slim" out of slim, paper-sleeved box sets with their latest batch of releases. Both this title and the new box of Liszt Orchestral Works by Masur are noticeably thicker than previous EMI sets featuring a similar number of discs. A minor point, but us serious classical collectors need every centimeter of space on our increasingly crowded CD shelves, not to mention the amount of wasted packaging.

Overall though, despite the fact that "Yehudi Menuhin - The Violinist" is not as essential a reissue as its counterparts in the "Original Masters" series, it is a delightful set that most collectors will thoroughly enjoy.

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 / Michelangeli, Giulini

Average customer rating:

Michelangeli is in full command
SHEER DELIGHT
Something went wrong in the DG studio, I fear
Beautiful performance and recording
Unusual Piano Playing are Just as Likely Giulini's Idea!

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 / Michelangeli, Giulini

Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000001GXL
Release Date: 1998-01-27

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In C Major: 1. Allegro con brio
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In C Major: 2. Largo
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In C Major: 3. Rondo. Allegro
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 3 In C Minor: 1. Allegro con brio
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 3 In C Minor: 2. Largo
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 3 In C Minor: 3. Rondo. Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Michelangeli is in full command.......2006-09-26

From the moment he apeared on the scene after WW II, through periods of great acclaim, retirement, re-emergence, notorious cancellations, and final deification, Michelangeli created an aura around himself. He was so aloof, patrician, and unapproachable that audiences felt privileged if he even showed up--and then there was his demand for strict silence and a darkened hall before he would play the first note. Remembering all that is easy thanks to these magisterial readings of the Beethoven First and Third concertos.

Late in his career, Michelangeli found a soul mate in Giulini, both committed to old-fashioned, intense, personal musicmaking. The First concerto starts off broadly, and one imagines this will be an exercise in patience, but the minute Michelangeli enters, you can't help but be riveted. It's not that he employs fireworks a la Horowitz--if anything, the playing is fairly relaxed. It's all in the pianist's total command of each note, thanks to his legendary touch. The simplest scale is completely captivating. (It was a regular habit of Michelangeli's to choose 'simple' music like this concerto, which even a good student can manage, just to hypnotize the audience with his artistry.)

The Third concerto is cut form the same cloth. It's soulful, reticent, and deeply felt. Since the keyboard writing is more difficult in this work, we get to hear the magic he could pull off in terms of balance and tone. I don't know how many listeners exist for this kind of music-making, but I'm very grateful that it has been preserved on records.

SHEER DELIGHT.......2006-07-21

One man's view: I feel I've never heard these pieces before when I put this CD on. ABM's approach is magical to me. He's forceful yet somehow graceful and fluid. Assured. Precise. I find I want to play his CDs just to hear his touch on the piano. It's like a swim in healing tropical waters. Highly recommended!

Something went wrong in the DG studio, I fear .......2006-06-12

I have old LP and cassette versions of the Concerto #1 and something has gone wrong, in my view, with this CD version. First, the audience applause is gone altogether, just blanked out--a shame, it seems to me. Second and more importantly, Michelangeli's wonderfully wild dynamic range has been dampened, modified, and noticeably limited, while the orchestra is now bolder. The choice of balance is regrettable here: Deutsche Grammophon has shortchanged Michelangeli of his poetic power; we no longer fully hear his crashing chords and exquisite faint passages, the jocularity and impishness of this early masterpiece by Beethoven. I bought the CD with high hopes; try listening to the original DG versions and I do think you'll hear what I mean. But then it is still Michelangeli, still stirring and blindingly accurate and memorable.

Beautiful performance and recording.......2002-05-26

This is a wonderful CD, at an excellent price. The interpretation of the First Piano Concerto does allow Beethoven to be Beethoven, as another reviewer has remarked. Some performances of this concerto sound dismissive, but this one is evocative and sensitive.

I love the Third, Fourth and Fifth Concertos. The Third was my introduction to Beethoven Piano Concertos through listening and following the score in Year Ten Music classes. It is a remarkable work, with some similarities to the Fifth Symphony in the way Beethoven exhaustively develops the opening theme of the first movement.

Highly recommended recording.

Unusual Piano Playing are Just as Likely Giulini's Idea!.......2002-04-06

Oh, dear friends, after reading the reviews that preceed this minor contribution by your fair simpleton, where to begin? LVB is a POST Classical composer, so ANYTHING goes with these radicals and thier really big bands. Interpretation is EVERYTHING with LVB and those to come. LVB is the king of kings in regards to emotionalism. So, why all the hand-wringing as if these pieces were baroque pearls. Giulini and Mich. are superb on this recording for the very reasons others cite as their flaws. And let's face it, while this humble contributor finds Giulini's recording of LVB's 5th Symphony with the L.A. Philharmonic to be a bombastic, over-the-top, hyper-emotional vulgar-fest, that same recording is considered by MANY to be among the greatest recordings of said piece--EVER!! Come now! Can a recording by one of the greatest conductors of LVB, Maesto Giulini, be as bad as others have suggested? NO! NO! NO! Why some have written about this CD as if it were one of Abbado's accidental fender benders with LVB is unknown. And I do love Abbado so, but in attempting to don the lampshade, he has broken the LVB lamp itself in the process. This performance on this CD with Giulini and Mich. is a breath of fresh air for these well known works. Agreed, the points of musicianship cited by others is accurate, but those are this CD's strengths, not weaknesses. This CD is truly among my favoirite versions of LVB piano concertos. My ONLY complaint: it is an ANALOG recording. However, the compromise is not enough to ruin the beauty of these performances. I forget which, but one of the recordings is a live performance (I know, Giulini ALWAYS insisted upon live "takes") for a TV broadcast. Live performances in halls for broadcast are an additional compromise, and you will hear some instuments lost in the muddle, but DG, always the wizards of audio, still manage to make it an experience to remember.

Average customer rating:

Definitely a gem to save close to you

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 4

Manufacturer: Archipel
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000OQF6PY
Release Date: 2007-04-24

Customer Reviews:

Definitely a gem to save close to you.......2007-06-27

First of all, this recording is worth hearing, The combination pianist -directors-orchestras are definitely so spectacular, Clara Haskil was a great artist from all accounts of the 20th century, I have to take into consideration that despite of the time of this live recording , the sound has with certainty been well balanced and quite good enough so keep an eye on it and don't miss the opportunity to get it because is one of a kind.

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Historical performances!

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 and 4
Ludwig van Beethoven , Arthur Rubinstein , Dimitri Mitropoulos , and Philharmonic-Symphony
Manufacturer: Music & Arts Programs
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Arthur Rubinstein: Ludwig Van Beethoven Piano Sonatas

ASIN: B00006L6XR
Release Date: 2006-01-01

Tracks:

Allegro Con Brio, Candenza, Tempo I - Arthur Rubinstein
Largo - Arthur Rubinstein
Rondo (Allegro), Cadenza, Tempo I-Presto - Arthur Rubinstein
Announcement - Josef Hofmann
Allegro Moderato, Cadenza, Tempo I - Josef Hofmann
Andante Con Moto - Josef Hofmann
Rondo (Vivace), Cadenza, Tempo I-Presto - Josef Hofmann
Announcement - Josef Hofmann

Product Description

Rubinstein: Beethoven Piano Concerto Nr. 3--Philharmonic-Society, Ormandy/1943 Hofmann: Beethoven Piano Concerto Nr. 4,Mitropolus--Philharmonic Society/1943

Customer Reviews:

Historical performances!.......2006-11-12

This is a memorable CD. It contains the legendary presence of Joseph Hoffman in front of the New York Philharmonic, under the baton Of Dimitri Mitropoulos and playing Beethoven's Fourth Concerto . You will have the chance to enjoy and admire of the expressive pianism of the most remarkable keyboard giants of the past.

But there is much to listen, Artur Rubinstein playing the Third Piano Concerto in what to my mind concerns was his best decade; the forties.

Average customer rating:

I'm not quite so convinced.
Stunning recording and a fresh approach
Modern...And I Like It!
recordings at the styriarte festival in Graz
A Stunning Collaboration

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5
Ludwig van Beethoven , Pierre-Laurent Aimard , Nikolaus Harnoncourt , and Chamber Orchestra of Europe
Manufacturer: Teldec
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music
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Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Rondo in B flat; Choral Fantasy
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Debussy: Images; Études
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Beethoven: Complete Works for Piano & Cello

ASIN: B000088DSQ
Release Date: 2003-05-20

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

Allegro Con Brio
Largo
Rondo: Allegro

Tracks:

Allegro Moderato
Andante Con Moto
Rondo: Vivace
Allegro
Adagio Un Poco Moto
Rondo: Allegro, Ma Non Troppo

Amazon.com

Aimard is best-known as an exponent of contemporary music, Harnoncourt, as a Founding Father of the period instrument movement. Both bring elements of their contrasting backgrounds to this provocative set: Aimard, in the lucidity and transparency of his playing, Harnoncourt, by rooting Beethoven within earlier traditions. But such templates don't always apply here, since they also utilize such ultra-Romantic gestures as wide tempo fluctuations, often from one measure to the next, elongated pauses, unexpected accents, among others. Such a diversity of interpretive stances takes getting used to, but the effort's worthwhile as these discs make something fresh and new out of familiar repertory pieces.

The first two concertos fare best, and the "Emperor" is also striking with its blend of clear textures and heroic gestures that likely surprised the composer's contemporaries with their boldness. In No. 3, lyricism sometimes shades into lingering, and the famous dialogue between growling orchestra and poetic piano in No. 4 is tame alongside most versions. Overall, the pair generally favor spacious tempos--the opening Allegro con brios of the first three concertos don't have much brio, and slow movements are slower than the norm, although those fluctuating internal speeds keep total timings within the "normal" range. But then, the goal of these artists is to restore a spirit of adventure and spontaneity to Beethoven, and they've certainly succeeded. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

I'm not quite so convinced........2006-10-28

I was surprised by the universal acclaim on this recording. Whilst there are some moments of real joy and surprise, as a whole the set feels somewhat uneven. The first three concertos are the best of the set, four is OK but five is disappointing. At times liberties are taken with tempi and you find things grinding to a halt abruptly and the performance loses forward momentum as a result, at other times things feel a little too mechanical.

This is particularly apparent in the slow movement of number 5, one of my favourite piece of Beethoven. It is really difficult to tell whether it is intended or a by-product of recording but at times the piano is just too much to the fore and sounds like a mechanical music box. It is somewhat surprising by Aimard seems to be able to combine over use of rubato (the opening phrases in the piano just slow down too much) with overly spiky approaches to passages where the piano accompanies the orchestra.

I have to say though that the orchestra is wonderful throughout under Harnoncourt.

Word of advice - don't listen to this with headphones - you can hear the edits to remove audience noise and also hear someone (wither the conductor or soloist) audibly grunting with the effort in places - quite unnerving.

Stunning recording and a fresh approach.......2006-01-10

Aimard, Harnoncourt, and the COE present a compelling interpretation of these oft-heard piano concertos. I agree completely with the favorable comments made by the spotlight reviewers and would like to add that this set is the best-recorded of the several sets that I own. While the interpretations are very unique, they are also musically quite convincing. I learned this music with the Ashkenazy/Cleveland Orchestra collaboration and have been listening a lot to the Fleisher/Szell set, which is perhaps my all-time favorite, but I would certainly highly recommend this new set to anyone with a fondness for these piano concertos.

Modern...And I Like It!.......2005-03-06

I never would have thought...

Thank you Monsieur Aimard for affirming the tradition of equilibriated emotion and intellection in pianism. Thank you Les Monsieurs Aimard and Harnoncourt for your hard and successful work in making these pieces sound new again.

The Master Beethoven's Piano Concerti have just come out of the shower...They are clean, fresh, and alive again!

recordings at the styriarte festival in Graz.......2003-11-03

I'm glad that other listeners enjoy this recording of Beethoven's piano concertos as much as I do. I just wanted to correct some false information about the recording details: In the booklet of the CD you can read that the 2nd concerto was recorded in Vienna which isn't true. This concerto was recorded in Graz at the styriarte festival 2001 (June-July), whereas the first concerto was recorded in Vienna. In order to complete the series in Graz Nikolaus Harnoncourt and Pierre-Laurent Aimard decided to do the first concerto in 2003, but it was not recorded by Teldec/Warner at the festival 2003. Instead Warner took the older recording from Vienna. What Warner did record in Graz at the festival 2003 was Beethoven's Choral fantasy op. 80 and the Rondo, WoO 6.
Apart from pointing out these technical details of the recording I warmly recommend a live performance of Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Pierre-Laurent Aimard and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe because the CD can not grasp the overwhelming atmosphere which these great artists produce in Nikolaus Harnoncourt's hometown.

A Stunning Collaboration.......2003-08-16

I often like to hear what pianists who specialize in contemporary music have to say about pieces from the established repertoire; they tend to re-think even the old works. This, plus a recommendation from a friend, led me to buy this set featuring Pierre-Laurent Aimard. I had heard him play part of Messaien's 'Vingt Regards' this past season and was knocked out. Then I got his recording of the Ligeti Études and was convinced by them that he is one of the most talented pianists today, at least in modern repertoire. I had heard rumors that Nikolaus Harnoncourt, having recorded a very successful Beethoven symphony set with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, was planning to record the Beethoven Piano Concerti with them as well and I'd heard it was going to be with Martha Argerich. I later read, though, that she refused to participate at least partly because she didn't know all five of the concerti and didn't want to learn the ones she didn't already know. When I heard that the project was going ahead, but with Aimard, I was puzzled but very interested. In the set's booklet, Aimard indicates that although he had never performed with Harnoncourt, the conductor had heard him play a Beethoven sonata in recital and judged that he might make a wonderful collaborator. Aimard was, understandably, a bit surprised at being chosen, but quickly agreed to the project. These recordings, then, were taken, except for the recording of the Second Concerto, from live performances in Harnoncourt's hometown, Graz, Austria; the Second was recorded live in the Vienna Philharmonic's home hall, the Musikverein. The 3-CD set presents the concerti in the order in which they were written: 2, 1, 3, 4, 5.

There are a number of general comments to make about this collaboration. First, it is clear that both Harnoncourt and Aimard have re-thought the pieces from start to finish. There are not simply gazing admiringly at well-known monuments. They are getting up-close-and-personal and making observations, individually and together, that are fresh and new. Further, their cooperation is stunning; Harnoncourt, whose long-standing relationship with the COE is such that he can get anything he wants from them with a flick of the wrist, conducts the pieces as if the music were occurring to him in the now. This means that there are many tempo alterations, pauses, accents, mouldings of phrases that sound spontaneous. And Aimard matches him gesture for gesture. Occasionally this is irritating, but usually it is simply surprising and enlightening. One thing is for sure: you never know what is just around the next corner. And this, of course, makes the music fresh and exciting. Following along with score I noted no flagrant disregard of Beethoven's notated indications, and indeed I saw that Aimard followed quite closely such things as Beethoven's sometimes quirky but always effective pedal markings and accents.

The COE, as a result of Harnoncourt's background in early music, uses minimal vibrato, the winds and brass sound like original instruments (although I don't know whether they actually are), the timpani are crisp (from leather-headed sticks?) as they were in the Harnoncourt/COE symphony set. The sound picture is exceptionally clear and the dynamic range exceptionally wide. The sound of the piano is not nearly as highlighted as it is in most concerto recordings; rather it sounds like it does in a concert hall. This seems particularly so in the latter two concerti. This strikes me as apt, since the Fourth is a rather like a symphonic fantasia with piano obbligato and the Fifth--in distinction to its usual presentation as a grand Romantic concerto with heroic piano solo--is a symphony with piano. For this reason, the Fourth and Fifth are particularly successful.

The slow movements are generally slower than usually heard, and they all feature heavenly string playing from the COE. The muted strings in the slow movement of the Fifth are matched by Aimard's slightly covered sound and the effect is heavenly. One doesn't want it to end, but when the final chord in B major resolves downward to the B flat opening of the final movement it is like waking from a dream to find oneself in a fresh and wonderful new world--one of Beethoven's master-strokes served up perfectly by Harnoncourt and his musicians. The colloquy--one might say 'debate'--between the piano and the orchestra in the middle movement of the Fourth is more genial than in some performances, but this is in the interest of a rather gentler overall approach in that concerto, one that I find attractive.

The Second concerto, usually played as a Haydnesque late-Classic concerto, is more full-blooded than one generally hears; this may be partly due to the rich, warm ambience of the recording venue, the Vienna Musikverein. Whatever the reason, I like this approach; I've often thought other performances have drained this concerto of its fire, focusing rather on its music-box features.

The First concerto in C major is, for whatever reason, my least favorite of the five, but it is given a loving, nuanced, sparkling performance here. The outer movements of the Third, in C minor, are the weakest of the set--although the performances are not at all bad; the sound is a little muddy as well. Its middle movement, though, one of Beethoven's loveliest movements, is perfect. Its stillness foreshadows the slow movements of Beethoven's late sonatas and quartets. Harnoncourt and Aimard are in complete accord on its extremely slow tempo and time seems to stand still.

In summary, then, this is one of the most successful Beethoven Concerto sets I've ever encountered. I would not want to be without Arrau/C. Davis (my favorite over the years), or various recordings by Gilels, Richter, Brendel, Ashkenazy, Kovacevich, Schnabel (that glorious Fifth with the Chicago Symphony!) and others. For new insights, though, and a slightly out-of-the-mainstream approach, as well as a deep satisfaction, I'll reach for this set often, I suspect.

Heartily recommended.

CD1=70;24 (2nd=31:10, 1st=39:14)
CD2=37:50 (3rd)
CD3=75:09 (4th=35:27, 5th=39:42)
TT=183:19

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-Presto)
Piano Concerto No.5 In E Flat, Op.73 'Emperor': I. Allegro
Piano Concerto No.5 In E Flat, Op.73 'Emperor': II. Adagio un poco mosso
Piano Concerto No.5 In E Flat, Op.73 'Emperor': III. Rondo (Allegro)

Customer Reviews:

Lyrical Interpretation.......2000-04-02

For depth of feeling, there are few piano artists who compare with Firkusny. Although Dvorak is his more common recording, these two haunting and lyrical interpretations of somewhat over-used concertos avoid bravura for the sake of it. Firkusny felt his music. Try closing your eyes and listen to how he brings out lyrical facets of the compositions you may never have noticed before with less able performers. For the price this is a gem.

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:

a great collaboration
Phenomenal performances!

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 5

Manufacturer: Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music

Piano Concerto #2

ASIN: B000002S7W
Release Date: 2001-03-06

Tracks:

Piano Con No.3 In c, Op.37: I.Allegro Con Brio
Piano Con No.3 In c, Op.37: II.Largo
Piano Con No.3 In c, Op.37: III.Rondo (Allegro)
Piano Con No.5 In E Flat, Op.73 'Emperor': I.Allegro
Piano Con No.5 In E Flat, Op.73 'Emperor': II. Adagio Un Poco Mosso
Piano Con No.5 In E Flat, Op.73 'Emperor': III.Rondo (Allegro)

Customer Reviews:

a great collaboration.......2001-03-29

Karajan and Weissenberg are a perfect match for the Beethoven piano concertos. This particular recording has #s 3 and 5, I would guess the two most popular ones. While I am personally not too fond of #5 (The Emperor concerto) in general, this recording is superb. The C minor concerto (#3) on the other hand, is my absolute favorite and this particular recording is in my top three choices for this work, the others being Svjatoslav Richter/Riccardo Muti and Maurizio Pollini/Karl Boehm. Weissenberg has impeccable technique, but what is really amazing is that he has the same subtle sense for pace, force and harmony that makes Karajan's style so wonderful. They really go together very well and create a beautiful, very uniquely homogenous interpretation of the piece that left me highly satisified. This recording is from the mid-seventies, but the sound quality is very good. EMI has done a very good job in remastering all of Karajan's work for the "Karajan edition". Beethoven piano concertos 1+2 are available in the same series and the are equally worthwile

Phenomenal performances!.......2001-03-14

Alexis Weissenberg was one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. (Unfortunately, I do not know whether he is still alive in this century or not.) Weissenberg's technique is incredible, but his artistry is even more astounding. Personally, I regard him as the greatest pianist I've ever heard. As one would expect from such a great pianist, his performances of the Beethoven piano concertos are superb, as is the accompaniment by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. Particularly outstanding is the performance of the Emperor Concerto which is monumental. No other currently-available performance of the Emperor Concerto comes even close to this one. The performance of Concerto No. 3 is quite good. Unfortunately, many of Weissenberg's recordings are not available on CD. Please do yourself a favor and buy this CD while it's still available.

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