Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos 2 & 4 [SACD]

The essence of Beethoven's style

Advantages: dynamic and gripping
Disadvantages: none

Fantastic to have another additional collection of all five of Beethoven's piano concerti. Spanning his life we can really get to grips with his evolving use of the orchestra in these works. From the Third's action packed finale to the Fourth's beautiful expressions to the grandeur of the much loved Fifth. The playing is precise, dramatic and full of energy; as indeed it should be. Aimard's playing is always well crafted and beautifully shaped. This is an insightful disk and has taken the musicians an awful lot of hard work. A must-have for any lover of Beethoven's piano music. If you usually go for his chamber music or string quartets why not branch out and explore Aimard's wonderful take on these concerti? Well worth buying and indeed an inspiration for myself and other pianists alike. ...

BlueImpromtu 09.08.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos 1 - 5

The Rach 2

Advantages: One of the most Romantic concertos around, full of beautiful melodies and passion
Disadvantages: over-recorded

INTRODUCTION Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov was one of the most promising composers emerging from Russia after Tchaikovsky. His early works included the youthfully energetic Piano Concerto in F sharp minor, Op.1, an orchestral fantasia The Rock, the opera Aleko, several songs, piano pieces (including the famous Prelude in C sharp minor, a work that would plague Rachmaninov with its popularity throughout his life) and the First Symphony in D minor, Op.13. Rachmaninov had high hopes for the latter; it was his magnum opus up until that time. However the symphony proved to be the biggest disappointment of his career, causing a tremendous crisis in his creative life. All the critics jumped on the work, most notably César Cui who compared it with the Seven Plagues of Egypt and condemned the work as modernist trash. The effect ...

berlioz 13.11.2004 · Read full review
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Review of Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2, etc

Twilight Zone Moments with Mutter

Advantages: The Romances; concerto's third movement.
Disadvantages: Tempo, pitch and volume quirks in Concerto.

of Masur and Mutter, and notes on Mutter, Masur and the NYPO. Thankfully, unlike her ill-conceived "Four Seasons" CD foldout case, one need not remove the CD booklet here to gain access to the disc itself.) LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, op. 61 (49'81) 1 1. Allegro ma non troppo (27'09) 2 2. Larghetto (10'58) 3 3. Rondo. Allegro (10'11) Cadenzas: Fritz Kreisler 4 Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 in G major, (7'11) op. 40 5 Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in F major, (8'23) op. 50 ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER, violin New York Philharmonic KURT MASUR Live recording Recorded at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts 5/2002 (P) 2002 Deutsche Grammophon 289 471 349-2 (G)(H) Digital Stereo ...

zerbine28 18.09.2003 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Beethoven: Violin Concerto; Romances 1 & 2