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Piano Concertos by MIFrost
Beethoven stopped writing concertos after his middle period. Perhaps
the extroverted, public nature of such works was at odds with his
increasingly inward focus as his deafness grew. Maybe he'd said all he
had to say in the form and simply moved on. Modern audiences never
seem to tire of them. Sets rule the market in the concertos even more
than in the symphonies.
全集推荐
he solid, muscular, dramatic, exciting Ashkenazy/Solti is still just
about the best one-box set. Ashkenazy seems to have tempered and
focussed Solti's heat, and both work in tandem to produce firm,
athletic, but not unlovely traversals. The 1970s analog sound is among
the best, capturing the Chicago Symphony in unusually lustrous tone.
Ashkenazy conducts the Cleveland Orchestra and plays the solo part in
his later set, but it just isn't competitive. You can hear the Chicago
Symphony in almost as good form in the Brendel/ Levine (Philips).
Levine maintains firm control over the overall line, but some
listeners find Brendel finicky and prone to overintellectualizing. His
eariler set with Haitink (also Philips) isn't helped by lackluster
orchestral accompaniment, and his most recent set (his fourth!) pairs
him with Rattle. John McKelvey found no surprises, just clearly
projected, tidy, sllghtly more relaxed, less hard-edged playing. The
Vienna Philharmonic plays beautifully as usual, and Rattle is a
passable ac companist, but you won't buy the set for him.
Conducting and playing the piano seems to be too much for one pair of
hands in these works. Barenboim tries it with the Berlln Philharmonic
and comes up short like Ashkenazy--uninteresting, calculated
performances. Why bother when his set with Klemperer (EMI) is
available with fresher, more concentrated pianism and a great
conductor in impressive form. Tempos are slow, but the cumulative
result is powerful.
Szell paired up with two pianists, and neither set could be called
slow. Fleisher/Szell (Sony) has plenty of precision and energy, piano
virtuosity, and orchestral brilliance. For some it's one of the best
available; many of us find it brusque and crusty and prefer the more
open playing of Gilels (EMI). The same orchestral clarity and
precision is there, but Gilels seems to have prevailed on Szell to
relax a bit (only a bit!).
Kempff/Leitner (DG) is another classic--considered by some the best
ever--but its day may have passed. Kempif is a great
classicist--thoughtful, with a balanced poise, clean style, a bright
tone, and a certain understatement that works best in 2 and 4. His
approach is less congenial in the extroverted 1 and 5. Leitner's
accompaniment is graceful but also unimaginative, and the sound just a
tad outdated. You can get great sound on the Oppitz/Janowski (RCA),
but 'industrial gray" performances with not much to say and drab
orchestral playing.
Perahia (Sony) is unique; he takes a classical, almost Mozartean
approach that handily belies the notion that there is no ground
between aggressive and wimpy Beethoven. (The 1995 Overview tells you
why a few of us hate this set.) His pearly tone is ably complemented
by the warm tones elicited from the Concertgebouw Orchestra by
Haitink, who did the same 20 years earlier for Arrau (Philips) in 3, 4
and 5.
The Pollini/Abbado (DG) is marked by pedestrian conducting and
brilliant, machinelike pianism. Abbado makes "strict" conductors like
Leinsdorf and Szell sound vibrant. Better entirely is Pollini's
earlier set with Bohrm sensitively conducting 3, 4, 5 (classic status,
among the strongest on disc), but 1 and 2 under Jochum are routine.
Another classic set is the Rubinstein/Leinsdoff. Rubinstein's tone is
ravishing, and Leinsdorf is a solid accompanist, but not terribly
inspired. The Rubinstein/Barenboim set is dominated more by the piano
but seems a little freer. Certainly both orchestra and conducting are
inferior to the set with Leinsdorf. There's an earlier set with Krips.
Schiff/Haitink (Teldec) is well-manicured, smooth, and efficient.
Tempos are slightly grand, but the Dresden Staatskapelle is as fine a
Beethoven orchestra as any. Somehow, though, the performances are not
memorable. Weissenberg/Karajan (EMI) emphasize the romantic,
monumental side of Beethoven in slow, long, rhetorical, sometimes
bombastic performances. They don't always hang together, but No.4 is
almost unparalleled.
As with the symphonies, the period-instrument sets are conjectural
historical reconstructions of what the concertos might have sounded
like in Beethoven's day. The problem with even the best of them is
that one finds oneself cranking volume and bass to get more oomph from
the solo instrument. Jos van Immerseel/Weil (Sony) is a mixed bag: two
of our reviewers liked some bits, but didn't like pianos that don't
seem up to demands of music. Levin (DG) plays with volatility and
robust sound, and Gardiner leads a bold, exciting accompaniment. Levin
makes some interpretive choices that may be refreshing to somebody
who's overfamiliar with the work but will probably disqualify these as
first choices. The pianism most palatable to listeners with 20th
Century pianistic sensibilities is Melvyn Tan (EMI), with well-behaved
conducting from Norrington. Even so, the orchestra in Lubin/Hogwood
(Decca) has a more appealing smoothness.
单曲推荐
1 Among notable performances that are not part of sets (and there are
few), Richter (RCA) almost owns this one. His playing is vivid and
robust, and Munch carries the Boston Symphony along with the sheer joy
of the music. Richter's later recording with Eschenbach (RCA) seems
stodgy and distended in comparison. Fleisher and Ashkenazy both bring
fire and high spirits to the music, though the latter has slightly
better sound. Rubinstein/Leinsdorf is solid but not as ebullient as
Richter/Munch, and Kempif is a bit too reticent. Our reviewer rated
the Vogt/Rattle (EMI, with 2) with the best and called it brilliant,
sophisticated, and elegant; but if you have the ones we've just
mentioned, you probably don't need it.
2 This one was actually written before 1 but published after, so it is
Beethoven's earliest mature piano concerto (there is a concerto among
the juvenilia written when he was about 14--if it is indeed by
Beethoven). Not many pianists consider No. 2 a specialty, so most
recordings come as filler for one of the other four. Kissin/Levine
(Sony) and Ashkenazy/Solti emphasize the work's relation to its
successors, while Fleisher/Szell and Kempff emphasize its Mozartean
qualities (but some of us think Szell pushes the finale too fast). On
the opposite pole, Serkin/Ormandy goes for the full-orchestra
treatment. Kissin brings out Beethoven's joyful, life-affirming
vitality. The Rubinstein/Leinsdorf seems rushed, as if the conductor
wasn't much interested and wanted to get through it as quickly as
possible.
3 Those hoping for an equally rewarding sequel to Richter's No. 1 will
find his 3 (EMI) with Muti disappointing, a performance that never
really coheres. Ashkenazy/Solti, again, get high marks--they go for
drama in the outer movements but manage to take it easy in the
nostalgic slow movement. The Michelangeli/ Giulini (DG) is wonderfully
poetic and sensitive; if only the orchestra were the Vienna
Philharmonic instead of the Vienna Symphony! Uchida/Sanderling
(Philips, with 4) is small-scaled and beautifully phrased but
mannered; the orchestra sounds tentative. Carl Bauman approved of
Firkusny/Susskind on super-cheap Seraphim discs, but even with
refurbishment the sound has been surpassed. Serkin (Sony) is as dull
as dishwater, as he is in 1 and 2, but Bernstein's conducting is fiery
and impulsive. Katchen's extroverted pianism surges forth in a
dramatic, passionate reading (London).
4 Weissenberg/Karajan and Ashkenazy/Solti will have to duke it out for
first place. Both are beautifully in sync with their conductors, and
both radiate sheer joy in the finales. Grimaud (Teldec) is full of
life and energy without short-changing the rhapsodic elements; her
conductor, Masur, does his job dutifully. Bachauer (Mercury) is not a
shrinking violet; she emphasizes heft and drama without lapsing into
heaviness. There is something missing from Zacharias/Vonk (EMI, with
5), which seems superficial and too literal. Vonk's accompaniment is
nothing special--gestures without motivations.
5 There are so many recordings, it's hard to know where to begin. As
you might expect, Ashkenazy/Solti is at the top of the list, as is the
broad, majestic, Gould/Stokowski (Sony), which is a demonstration that
slow tempos do not always equal dull performances. Gould's piano is a
bit clattery in loud passages, but he and Stokowski leave no doubt
about why the piece is nicknamed Emperor. Arrau brings unerringly
elegant, patrician tone to his recordings; some critics prefer the
1959 account with Galliera, but I think it's edged out by the one with
Haitink and a resplendent Concertgebouw Orchestra (Philips). The third
Arrau was with Cohn Davis, it has won few adherents among us.
The Cliburn/Reiner (RCA) should have been a better performance, but
pianist and conductor seem to be phoning it in (the 4th, on the same
disc, is no better). Serkin (Sony), as usual, plays it straight, but
Bernstein dances capers around him-different but exciting.
Connoisseurs favor the straightforward Kempff/Leitner, so I'd better
mention them, but as my comments about their whole set suggest, I find
them too reticent. Edwin Fischer and Furtwangler (EMI) are perhaps the
most Apollonian of all-a performance so beautiful it must be mentioned
despite (very good) monaural sound. Bachauer and Skrowaczewski are
more earthbound (earthy?) but still expansive. Among more recent
recordings, Kissin/Levine is uncommonly commanding and expressive,
Kissin a less fastidious pianist than Brendel. Katchen is in his
element, and if his conductor, Gamba, is not the most inventive of
accompanists, he is at least supportive without drawing the wrong kind
of attention to himself. Carl Bauman approved the Firkusny! Steinberg
(same disc as 3), but we wonder if the sound, despite refurbishment
for CD, isn't showing its age.
总结
Sets:
Ashkenazy/Solti Decca 443 723
Fleisher/Szell Sony 48397 or 47658,
48165, 46549
Rubinstein/Leinsdorf RCA 63057 (1+3),
63058 (4+5), 63059 (2)
1: Richter/Munch RCA
1 + 3: Michelangeli/Giulini DG 449 757
2 + 5: Kissin/Levine Sony 62926
3 + 4 + 5: Katchen/Gamba Decca 440 839
4: Weissenberg/Karajan EMI 66092 (+Triple)
5: Gould/Stokowski Sony
Kissin/Levine Sony更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
Piano Concertos by MIFrost
Beethoven stopped writing concertos after his middle period. Perhaps
the extroverted, public nature of such works was at odds with his
increasingly inward focus as his deafness grew. Maybe he'd said all he
had to say in the form and simply moved on. Modern audiences never
seem to tire of them. Sets rule the market in the concertos even more
than in the symphonies.
全集推荐
he solid, muscular, dramatic, exciting Ashkenazy/Solti is still just
about the best one-box set. Ashkenazy seems to have tempered and
focussed Solti's heat, and both work in tandem to produce firm,
athletic, but not unlovely traversals. The 1970s analog sound is among
the best, capturing the Chicago Symphony in unusually lustrous tone.
Ashkenazy conducts the Cleveland Orchestra and plays the solo part in
his later set, but it just isn't competitive. You can hear the Chicago
Symphony in almost as good form in the Brendel/ Levine (Philips).
Levine maintains firm control over the overall line, but some
listeners find Brendel finicky and prone to overintellectualizing. His
eariler set with Haitink (also Philips) isn't helped by lackluster
orchestral accompaniment, and his most recent set (his fourth!) pairs
him with Rattle. John McKelvey found no surprises, just clearly
projected, tidy, sllghtly more relaxed, less hard-edged playing. The
Vienna Philharmonic plays beautifully as usual, and Rattle is a
passable ac companist, but you won't buy the set for him.
Conducting and playing the piano seems to be too much for one pair of
hands in these works. Barenboim tries it with the Berlln Philharmonic
and comes up short like Ashkenazy--uninteresting, calculated
performances. Why bother when his set with Klemperer (EMI) is
available with fresher, more concentrated pianism and a great
conductor in impressive form. Tempos are slow, but the cumulative
result is powerful.
Szell paired up with two pianists, and neither set could be called
slow. Fleisher/Szell (Sony) has plenty of precision and energy, piano
virtuosity, and orchestral brilliance. For some it's one of the best
available; many of us find it brusque and crusty and prefer the more
open playing of Gilels (EMI). The same orchestral clarity and
precision is there, but Gilels seems to have prevailed on Szell to
relax a bit (only a bit!).
Kempff/Leitner (DG) is another classic--considered by some the best
ever--but its day may have passed. Kempif is a great
classicist--thoughtful, with a balanced poise, clean style, a bright
tone, and a certain understatement that works best in 2 and 4. His
approach is less congenial in the extroverted 1 and 5. Leitner's
accompaniment is graceful but also unimaginative, and the sound just a
tad outdated. You can get great sound on the Oppitz/Janowski (RCA),
but 'industrial gray" performances with not much to say and drab
orchestral playing.
Perahia (Sony) is unique; he takes a classical, almost Mozartean
approach that handily belies the notion that there is no ground
between aggressive and wimpy Beethoven. (The 1995 Overview tells you
why a few of us hate this set.) His pearly tone is ably complemented
by the warm tones elicited from the Concertgebouw Orchestra by
Haitink, who did the same 20 years earlier for Arrau (Philips) in 3, 4
and 5.
The Pollini/Abbado (DG) is marked by pedestrian conducting and
brilliant, machinelike pianism. Abbado makes "strict" conductors like
Leinsdorf and Szell sound vibrant. Better entirely is Pollini's
earlier set with Bohrm sensitively conducting 3, 4, 5 (classic status,
among the strongest on disc), but 1 and 2 under Jochum are routine.
Another classic set is the Rubinstein/Leinsdoff. Rubinstein's tone is
ravishing, and Leinsdorf is a solid accompanist, but not terribly
inspired. The Rubinstein/Barenboim set is dominated more by the piano
but seems a little freer. Certainly both orchestra and conducting are
inferior to the set with Leinsdorf. There's an earlier set with Krips.
Schiff/Haitink (Teldec) is well-manicured, smooth, and efficient.
Tempos are slightly grand, but the Dresden Staatskapelle is as fine a
Beethoven orchestra as any. Somehow, though, the performances are not
memorable. Weissenberg/Karajan (EMI) emphasize the romantic,
monumental side of Beethoven in slow, long, rhetorical, sometimes
bombastic performances. They don't always hang together, but No.4 is
almost unparalleled.
As with the symphonies, the period-instrument sets are conjectural
historical reconstructions of what the concertos might have sounded
like in Beethoven's day. The problem with even the best of them is
that one finds oneself cranking volume and bass to get more oomph from
the solo instrument. Jos van Immerseel/Weil (Sony) is a mixed bag: two
of our reviewers liked some bits, but didn't like pianos that don't
seem up to demands of music. Levin (DG) plays with volatility and
robust sound, and Gardiner leads a bold, exciting accompaniment. Levin
makes some interpretive choices that may be refreshing to somebody
who's overfamiliar with the work but will probably disqualify these as
first choices. The pianism most palatable to listeners with 20th
Century pianistic sensibilities is Melvyn Tan (EMI), with well-behaved
conducting from Norrington. Even so, the orchestra in Lubin/Hogwood
(Decca) has a more appealing smoothness.
单曲推荐
1 Among notable performances that are not part of sets (and there are
few), Richter (RCA) almost owns this one. His playing is vivid and
robust, and Munch carries the Boston Symphony along with the sheer joy
of the music. Richter's later recording with Eschenbach (RCA) seems
stodgy and distended in comparison. Fleisher and Ashkenazy both bring
fire and high spirits to the music, though the latter has slightly
better sound. Rubinstein/Leinsdorf is solid but not as ebullient as
Richter/Munch, and Kempif is a bit too reticent. Our reviewer rated
the Vogt/Rattle (EMI, with 2) with the best and called it brilliant,
sophisticated, and elegant; but if you have the ones we've just
mentioned, you probably don't need it.
2 This one was actually written before 1 but published after, so it is
Beethoven's earliest mature piano concerto (there is a concerto among
the juvenilia written when he was about 14--if it is indeed by
Beethoven). Not many pianists consider No. 2 a specialty, so most
recordings come as filler for one of the other four. Kissin/Levine
(Sony) and Ashkenazy/Solti emphasize the work's relation to its
successors, while Fleisher/Szell and Kempff emphasize its Mozartean
qualities (but some of us think Szell pushes the finale too fast). On
the opposite pole, Serkin/Ormandy goes for the full-orchestra
treatment. Kissin brings out Beethoven's joyful, life-affirming
vitality. The Rubinstein/Leinsdorf seems rushed, as if the conductor
wasn't much interested and wanted to get through it as quickly as
possible.
3 Those hoping for an equally rewarding sequel to Richter's No. 1 will
find his 3 (EMI) with Muti disappointing, a performance that never
really coheres. Ashkenazy/Solti, again, get high marks--they go for
drama in the outer movements but manage to take it easy in the
nostalgic slow movement. The Michelangeli/ Giulini (DG) is wonderfully
poetic and sensitive; if only the orchestra were the Vienna
Philharmonic instead of the Vienna Symphony! Uchida/Sanderling
(Philips, with 4) is small-scaled and beautifully phrased but
mannered; the orchestra sounds tentative. Carl Bauman approved of
Firkusny/Susskind on super-cheap Seraphim discs, but even with
refurbishment the sound has been surpassed. Serkin (Sony) is as dull
as dishwater, as he is in 1 and 2, but Bernstein's conducting is fiery
and impulsive. Katchen's extroverted pianism surges forth in a
dramatic, passionate reading (London).
4 Weissenberg/Karajan and Ashkenazy/Solti will have to duke it out for
first place. Both are beautifully in sync with their conductors, and
both radiate sheer joy in the finales. Grimaud (Teldec) is full of
life and energy without short-changing the rhapsodic elements; her
conductor, Masur, does his job dutifully. Bachauer (Mercury) is not a
shrinking violet; she emphasizes heft and drama without lapsing into
heaviness. There is something missing from Zacharias/Vonk (EMI, with
5), which seems superficial and too literal. Vonk's accompaniment is
nothing special--gestures without motivations.
5 There are so many recordings, it's hard to know where to begin. As
you might expect, Ashkenazy/Solti is at the top of the list, as is the
broad, majestic, Gould/Stokowski (Sony), which is a demonstration that
slow tempos do not always equal dull performances. Gould's piano is a
bit clattery in loud passages, but he and Stokowski leave no doubt
about why the piece is nicknamed Emperor. Arrau brings unerringly
elegant, patrician tone to his recordings; some critics prefer the
1959 account with Galliera, but I think it's edged out by the one with
Haitink and a resplendent Concertgebouw Orchestra (Philips). The third
Arrau was with Cohn Davis, it has won few adherents among us.
The Cliburn/Reiner (RCA) should have been a better performance, but
pianist and conductor seem to be phoning it in (the 4th, on the same
disc, is no better). Serkin (Sony), as usual, plays it straight, but
Bernstein dances capers around him-different but exciting.
Connoisseurs favor the straightforward Kempff/Leitner, so I'd better
mention them, but as my comments about their whole set suggest, I find
them too reticent. Edwin Fischer and Furtwangler (EMI) are perhaps the
most Apollonian of all-a performance so beautiful it must be mentioned
despite (very good) monaural sound. Bachauer and Skrowaczewski are
more earthbound (earthy?) but still expansive. Among more recent
recordings, Kissin/Levine is uncommonly commanding and expressive,
Kissin a less fastidious pianist than Brendel. Katchen is in his
element, and if his conductor, Gamba, is not the most inventive of
accompanists, he is at least supportive without drawing the wrong kind
of attention to himself. Carl Bauman approved the Firkusny! Steinberg
(same disc as 3), but we wonder if the sound, despite refurbishment
for CD, isn't showing its age.
总结
Sets:
Ashkenazy/Solti Decca 443 723
Fleisher/Szell Sony 48397 or 47658,
48165, 46549
Rubinstein/Leinsdorf RCA 63057 (1+3),
63058 (4+5), 63059 (2)
1: Richter/Munch RCA
1 + 3: Michelangeli/Giulini DG 449 757
2 + 5: Kissin/Levine Sony 62926
3 + 4 + 5: Katchen/Gamba Decca 440 839
4: Weissenberg/Karajan EMI 66092 (+Triple)
5: Gould/Stokowski Sony
Kissin/Levine Sony更多精彩文章及讨论，请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net