Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 5 (Bernstein Century)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was driving and listening to this recording on WQXR in New York. The interpretation of Emperor was so unique, so distinct from than any other. I had to stop at the side of the road with a pen at the ready to hear who in the world had the courage to conceive this sublime performance. When it was over you experience one of those delicious moments when the conductor and pianist are revealed and you go "but of course, who else". Very special.

These two Beethoven concerto recordings from 1962 (Emperor) and 1964 (Third Cncerto) are the only time, besides an equally commadning "Choral Fantasy" from the same era, that Bernstein and Serkin ever recorded together. The pianist was a dominant figure among the Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany who put New York musical culture on the map, and Bernstein of course was the culmination of that phenomenon--he became the prodigal son returning to Vienna in triumph. There is a special, all but unmatched electricity in the meeting of these two greats.

I suppose Amazon's unreliable reviewer has a point in contrasting Serkin and Benrstein, but the actual performance speaks otherwise: both performers are galvanic. In five decades of listening I've grown used to listless accompaniments for the Beethoven piano concertos--even maestros on the order of Hiatink, Abbado, and Solti simply don't care. Here Bernstein acts as if these works are full-scale Beethoven symphonies, which is especially fortunate for the Third Concerto, so often underplayed as quasi-Haydn. Not this one; it's a robust cousin to the Emperor.

This Emperor was for 25 years the staple recording for Columbia, CBS, and Sony, put forward early in the digital era in a tinny mastering, now emerging in much better sound in the Bernstein Century series. Like the Third, it's a lion of a peformance, perhaps not as dominant in the field as the Third since there are so many great versions. But this one has the flavor of Bernstien's early exuberance and Serkin's profound understanding of Beethoven. Five stars without a doubt.

My review applies more to the "Emporer" no. 5. I'm not a big fan of no. 3 anyway, so I can't speak to its quality on this disc. However, Bernstein and Serkin's interpretation of the "Emporer" is as moving as any I've heard. If you want your Beethoven to inspire and rouse(as I do), then this is the one to get. If you are looking for another sterile, lifeless reading of this concerto then go for the other reviewer's recommendations below. Bernstein and Serkin are very much in sync with each other throughout and the results are positively exciting despite the dissenter below.

I may not agree with every aspect of Serkin's views on Beethoven, but these recordings are wonderful. Serkin brings out both the strength and the delicacy of these masterpieces when required, and the tempos and phrasing that he uses are remarkably original and beautiful. However, the real stars are Bernstein and the NYPO. By far, this is the best orchestral accompaniment to the Beethoven concertos that I have ever heard; incredibly warm, heartfelt and passionate, I have to think that Beethoven would have been very pleased with the way these works are interpreted. These recordings are wonderful, especially that of the Emperor, but I will continue to look for a pianist that interprets the music exactly the way that I would like, if such a thing exists; namely, I will look for a recording with a little more power from the pianist, and a slightly warmer, more singing tone ( I suspect that Hofmann would have had such an interpretation, but his surviving recordings are few and far between). However, I do not hesitate in the least to recommend this CD to anyone that wants a good recording of either concerto.

Great as he was, Berstein did have his flaws. As clearly displayed by the performances on this cd, he ocassionally was guilty of what I can only describe as an excess of enthusiasm. The expansive fifth concerto withstands the onslaught, but the more restrained classicism of the third is almost smothered by it. Thus, if you are looking for an exciting performance of the fifth, plunge ahead. If, however, you are, like me, primarily interested in the third, hold out for something more appropriate.

Perhaps some day the Gary Graffman / Chicago Symphony recording of the third will be released on cd. It comes as close to perfection as anything I have ever heard.

Since I was never trained as a musician and can barely whistle on key, I cannot pretend to give you any new insights or technical appraisals of these famous recordings. Beethoven's music was sublime, and you don't need to be a musician to understand this. However, as a fan of classical music, I own four or five copies of the Beethoven concertos. This particular one was one of the first pieces of classical music I bought when I was in college. (The very first, which I still have in my possession, is Mozart's flute concertos.) Because I was lucky enough back in the early seventies to purchase one of the finest recordings of a Beethoven piano concerto ever made, the impact has remained with me. None of the other recordings are quite as satisfactory as this one. I don't know why. It really is a mystery to me. I've heard this piece performed by the best orchestras and pianists in the world, but there is definitely something about this particular version that is compelling and singular. If you are casting about for a version of the Emperor concerto to own, or just looking for an alternative to the ones you already have, you would be well advised to get this one. After forty years and more, it stands the test of time.

I am specifically speaking about the "Emporer" concerto here.

The editorial review really hit the nail on the head, when mentioning Serkin's more classical approach and Bernstein's emotional trajectory. I wouldn't disagree that at times the soloist and conductor are not together. But all in all, and considering other recordings, I would not hesitate to recommend this one to anyone. There are fireworks as well as resolve in this performance. Serkin's brightness against Bernstein's dark sturm. It's not as polished as many, but the raw sound does not distract from this recording. It is simply a performance that any "Emporer" concerto fan should hear.

This is one of the numerous reissues of this specific pairing. It also comes on the Bernstein Royal edition and on various Rudolf Serkin editions - search "Beethoven Serkin Bernstein" and look for the best price. But in fact Sony has done quite a lot of reshuffling with these recordings: 3 has also been mated with 1 (which is how I have it, although in an earlier edition than the one listed here, Rudolf Serkin: Beethoven: Piano Concertos 1 & 3) and with the Choral Fantasy (a great recording, see my review of Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37 / Choral Fantasy), 5 was originally CD-reissued with 4 (Ormandy conducting, Beethoven: Piano Concertos No. 4 & No. 5 "Emperor " ~ Serkin) and has also been reissued by itself, with no complement, Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor" - I wonder who'd want that, when all these other options are available. Anyway, the present pairing, 3 and 5, is, like 3 and the Choral Fantasy (the latter the original LP pairing), a logical one, since these are the Serkin-Bernstein-Beethoven collaborations (the rest of Serkin's cycle of Beethoven concertos from the early 1960s was conducted by Ormandy), and it offers generous timing for your money. Actually the most logical pairing would be 5 and the Choral Fantasy, since the two were recorded at the same session, on May 1, 1962 (the Piano Concerto No.3 dates from January 20, 1964): but it has never been done by Sony.

Well, I'm not an artistic decision-maker at Sony and they never asked me, and the present pairing offers not just good timing for money: it offers great artistic value as well. The combination of Serkin's classicim and preference for a dry staccato touch, and Bernstein's heart-on-sleeve passion and involvement may not seem an obvious one, but it has yielded here fine results. In the first movement of the 3rd Piano Concerto they offer an urgent and muscular reading, vehement even, with Serkin always underlining the music's muscularity rather than its delicacy, his dry touch conveying a crispness even in the more lyrical passages. The Largo may not have the hushed and dreamy quality and sensuous orchestral environment of Katchen-Gamba (Piano Concertos 3-5), and their finale their boisterous dynamism, but they are fine nonetheless, the Largo especially, played with beautiful restraint. The finale is crisp and muscular, if lacking the last touch of forward momentum.

While Serkin and Bernstein's reading of the 3rd Piano Concerto is good, their Emperor (like the Choral Fantasy recorded on the same day) is great. I won't say that it is uniquely dynamic, because the approach is in fact similar (in the first movement) to those of Fleisher-Szell, Katchen Gamba, Katz- Barbirolli (Barbirolli: Music of Beethoven) or, closer to us, Bronfman-Zinman (Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 5): brisk and dynamic, but not quite up to the speed records of Casadesus-Mitropoulos 1955 (Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 / De Falla), Horowitz-Reiner 1952 or Schnabel-Galliera 1947 (which I have in a very poor transfer, with hiss and scratching surfaces, on Maestro Expressivo 2; I haven't heard Schnabel's two other recordings, with Sargent in 1932 and Stock ten years later). Likewise with the finale, which comes near Casadesus-Mitropoulos and Katz-Barbirolli again, or Curzon-Szell (Clfford Curzon: Decca Recordings 1944-1970, Vol. 4); Schnabel, Horowitz, Fleisher, Katchen are faster still, many are slower. But, what is unique with Serkin and Bernstein's Emperor is, in its outer movemenst, its power and bite. Another distinguishing feature, underpining and enhancing the one just mentioned, are the stupendous sonics, among the best I've heard in this work: even in its more clanging moments the piano never covers the fine details of the orchestra (and the right hand never covers the left hand) and the other way around. The double bass and cellos have a power and clarity rarely encountered, and the trumpets are ominous (but in the finale, the horns are a bit distant in relation to them, my only complaint) and there is a fine antiphonal seperation of strings in the finale. But Serkin knows how to relax and sing in the more lyrical moments, and his touch, while always retaining its crispness and clarity, can become appropriately delicate. This announces the beautiful Largo, played with restraint and delicacy, at a held-back but not motionless tempo, over a hushed and sensuous tapestry of strings. This is one of the great recordings of this work; I'd hate to be with only one, but if I had to, this could be it.

Old, so maybe the sound quality isn't quite up to today's standards. But it's a vigorous, lively rendition of two of Beethoven's finest. I actually prefer this recording to several newer versions that just don't have the "oomph" of the Bernstein-Serkin work.

Querido amante de la música, seguramente usted pensará, es difícil decir cual es la MEJOR versión, dentro de unas obras en las cuales existen tantas versiones de extraordinario nivel. Para citar solo algunas versiones CINCO ESTRELLAS de estas obras; Pollini/Bohm, Brendel/Levine, Perahia/Haitink, Rubinstein/Krips, Arrau/Davis, Zimerman/Bernstein, Ashkenazy/Solti, Kempff/Leitner. Todas estas versiones mencionadas son sencillamente extraordinarias y cualquier amante de los conciertos para piano de Beethoven podría estar plenamente satisfecho con cualquiera de ellas.

¿Por que digo que a mi gusto, Bernstein/Serkin es lo MEJOR? Fuera de que obviamente están técnicamente perfectamente ejecutadas, los artistas tanto el director como el pianista (grandes beethovenianos ambos), cuando hicieron ésta grabación se encontraban en la cúspide de sus carreras artísticas y además que se encontraban realmente INSPIRADOS, con una sincronía de concepción, director/solista, que raras veces se dan a tan alto nivel.

Aunque usted tenga grandes versiones de los conciertos, este es un disco, que no debe dejar de adquirir.