Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 4 & 5 / Kempff, Leitner

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4 star:		(4)
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2 star:		(1)
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This incredible recording of Piano Concertos No.4 and No.5 was recorded in 1961 and released as two LP's in 1962. The performances show both Kempff, and the Berliner Philharmoniker under the direction of Ferdinand Leitner, at their best. Fluid, graceful, yet forceful. Absolutely no hesitation. You can feel the confidence of the musicians. Kempff's cadenzas were never equalled. The sound of the LP's was, as I remember, not too good. The remastering of the CD on the other hand is nothing short of a miracle. I do not know how they did it. You would swear that this was recorded in the last few years.

Beethoven's Piano Concertos are amazing to hear, especially when you listen to all five in a row. No.1 is already excellent. One hears the infulence of Mozart in the first movement, but by the third movement, Beethoven has entered territory previously unentered, and arguably never entered again. Amazingly, each successive Concerto builds on the previous. I only wish that there were more !

This CD, was originally part of a Series that also included Concertos No.1-3 which are excellent as well. Why DG only has made No's 4 and 5 available in the U.S. is a complete mystery to me. No's 1-4 are available in Germany on two CD Set as "The Complete Pano Concertso Vol.1", DG # 459-400-2, and I can really recommend seeking them out, because they are the best recordings ever made of the Piano Beethoven's Concertos. After you buy these Beethoven Concertos, you will not find better. If you do, I'd like to know. Email me.

Wilhelm Kempff, a pianist who could at times be very eccentric, is at his most satisfyingly straightforward in these 1962 recordings. He is particularly well-suited to the Fourth Concerto, because it is the most introverted concerto Beethoven ever wrote and thus is well-suited to Kempff's introverted, introspective style of playing. The famous solo opening is wonderfully expressive, and the entire performance is just as satisfying. It is only in the finale that I feel Kempff's playing lacks anything: Kempff's fine performance doesn't have the festive character and rhythmic drive of Pollini, Böhm and the Vienna Philharmonic, also on DG. Overall, though, it is a very fine performance.

The E-flat Concerto, the "Emperor," is more problematic. As I mentioned, Kempff has a very introverted style which is not so well suited to the brilliant, heroic works of Beethoven's middle period, such as the "Waldstein" and "Appassionata" Sonatas and this concerto. These works call for a fiery temperament and brilliant sound Kempff doesn't or can't produce. My benchmark in these works, and especially in the "Emperor" Concerto, is Pollini, whose astonishing technique and brilliant playing are ideal for middle-period Beethoven. A simple comparison of the opening cadenza in Kempff's and Pollini's versions will prove my point: Kempff's beautiful tone and clean articulation are topped by Pollini's brilliance and strength. That shouldn't imply that Pollini's performances aren't beautiful or clean, because they are, in the extreme. A comparison of the slow movements of each version will prove this point. Kempff's performance is very flowing and very beautiful, but it misses the stillness and profundity of Pollini's more spacious, spiritual reading. Pollini is undoubtedly helped here by the glorious accompaniment of Karl Böhm, one of the greatest conductors of the twentieth century. Ferdinand Leitner is an excellent accompanist but he's obviously not in Böhm's class. The fabulous finale, with its excruciatingly difficult left-hand part, is given an entirely competent performance by Kempff, but Pollini's astonishing technique, and again, his rhythmic drive and brilliant, festive character completely overshadow Kempff.

The snag is that at the moment Pollini's performances are only available in Volume II of the Complete Beethoven Edition, a five-CD set. So if you want excellent versions of the last two Beethoven piano concertos without having to spend sixty dollars, I recommend you invest in these excellent performances from Kempff.

These are magnificient recordings of Beethoven's great piano concertos that sound as though they were recorded yesterday thanks to Deutsche Grammophon's state of the art digital remastering. Kempff's splendid playing borders on the miraculous; his warm, compassionate performances are livelier than any I've heard, with the notable exceptions of Arrau and Kovacevich. Although his performance of the 4th Piano Concerto seems a trifle fast, it still resonates with much warmth and understanding for the score. Kempff's performance of the 5th Piano Concerto is also a commanding one; a compelling mix of lyricism and technique at their peak. Yet it is less exuberant than either Kovacevich's or Arrau's.

Leitner and the Berlin Philharmonic are enthusiastic accompanists to Kempff's playing. It's a pity that Deutsche Grammophon hasn't reissued the other recordings in this great Beethoven piano concerto cycle, perhaps the first ever to be recorded in stereo. I can only hope that they will be forthcoming sometime soon.

Beethoven's Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos were among my earliest introductions to classical music many decades ago. These works, and their three companion piano concertos, have lost none of their luster over the years. I love the great German pianist's Wilhelm Kempff's (1895 -- 1991) recording of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas. This 1961 recording of the Fourth and Fifth with Ferdinand Leitner conducting the Berlin Philharmonic is a fine complement to Kempff's sonata recordings.

There are many choices available on CD for this music and almost as many differing interpretations and performing styles. The two concertos both date from Beethoven's middle period, but they differ substantially from each other. The Fourth is lyrical and reflective, while the famous "Emperor" concerto is a prototypical example of heroic, monumental Beethoven in its scope, ambition, and sense of overcoming difficulty and sorrow.

Beethoven's Fourth was, understanably, Kempff's favorite as it suited his temperatment. He sets the stage for the work beautifully with the famous opening bars for piano solo -- the first time the piano had been given the opening statement in just this fashion. Kempff's playing is lyrical, quiet and improvisatory. He makes full use of the light runs, delicate passage work, and filigree in Beethoven's score.

Whatever flamboyance Kempff's performance of the Emperor concerto may lack is more than compensated for by the thoughtful, heroic, and noble character of the performance. The beginning piano arpeggios again set the tone for the work. Kempff plays the dazzling solo themes, warlike trills, clangorous chords and big runs with vigor, strength, and thought, counterbalanced by the many quieter moments of the work.

Beethoven's Fourth Concerto in G major opus 58 was first performed in public in 1808 with Beethoven at the piano. This, for many listeners, is Beethoven's greatest work in the form with its quiet strength, improvisatory piano writing and lyricism. The character of the work is set in the first few bars of the opening, in a movement which is filled with elegance and reflection and with moments of sweep and power. The second movement of the work is a brief dialogue between the gruffness of the orchestra and the pleading, quiet response of the piano that many writers have been tempted to see in programmatic terms. (Beethoven left no program for the work.) The sparkling third movement features a lively theme in which the piano is frequently accompanied by the cello and also by winds.

The "Emperor" was Beethoven's final effort in concerto form, and it was first played by Beethoven's pupil Czerny as a result of Beethoven's worsening deafness. Leon Plantinga, in his study "Beethoven's Concertos" has written (p; 257) that while the work "fairly bristles with musical topoi of a 'military' cast and with modes of expression we easily identify as 'heroic', one can hardly imagine that Beethoven, fed up with all the 'drums, cannons, and human misery' on all sides,[of the Napoleonic wars] could have intended this piece as a celebration of any military hero or anyone's victory in war." The work illustrates not prowess in war but rather "a generalized human struggle, and its heroic gestures pointed to a nobility of character required to prevail."

Some modern listeners have difficulty with the heroic cast of the "Emperor", but the work remains truly inspiring. The opening movement is one of both breadth and length with grand interchanges between the soloist and the orchestra. (Listen to the singing second theme as well, performed by the horns.) The second movement is noble and hymnlike with Czerny writing "when Beethoven wrote this adagio, the religious songs of devout pilgrims were present to his mind, and the performance of this movement must therefore perfectly express the holy calm and devotion which such an image naturally excites." The prayerful second movement leads without pause to a boisterous, difficult, and carefully-constructed concluding rondo.

Beethoven's Fourth and Fifth Concertos have been a gateway to a love of music for many. This recording by Kempff and Leitner is an excellent way to get to know these works. Listeners who already love this music will enrich their understanding through this classic performance.

Robin Friedman

This recording is proof (as if it was needed!) that when you are shopping for classical music CD's the price you pay is in no way related to the quality of the product you get. PolyGram is to be commended for both the quality of the music and packaging of its mid price "Original's" series which has over the past several years made available some of the jewels of DGG's priceless back catalogue and this release is no exception.

Drawn from Wilhelm Kempff's justifiably famous 1960's Beethoven cycle these ravishingly beautiful accounts of the 4th and the 5th (The Emperor) concertos are in my opinion the finest ever committed to tape. This is especially true of the 4th concerto, this most lyrical of concertos is played with such passion and delicacy that the listener can not fail to be moved, the second movement "Andante con moto" in particular possessing an almost ethereal beauty. Kempff himself always considered this to be Beethoven's finest work for piano and orchestra and this recording includes Kempff's own cadenza which he played throughout a concert career spanning seven decades.

The Emperor Concerto however is where most people start to have trouble with this release. In Kempff's reading, the concerto's heroic aspects are subtly muted, the artist concentrates on the more lyrical side of the music which seems to me to lend a degree of irony -almost akin to a raised eyebrow- to the more bombastic elements of the score. Although a controversial view, this is perhaps more in keeping with Beethoven's eventual feelings about the Emperor than would be evident in a more straight-forward reading, but as ever with any of Kempff's recordings the listeners opinion will be a highly personal one. For me Kempff's delicate technique and the almost unique depth of his artistic insight make this recording an essential part of my collection.

Wilhelm Kempff has long been one of my favorite Beethoven interpreters, ever since I first acquired his first (and best) complete set of Beethoven Piano Sonatas on mono DG LPs. His highly polished "cameo" style brought out both the poetry and wit of those wondrous Beethoven "diaries" in unique fashion. Only the very different complete sets by Artur Schnabel and Yves Nat have given me comparable satisfaction.

This pairing of Beethoven's 4th and 5th Piano Concertos is one of the finest available in stereo. However, it comes from fairly late in Kempff's career: some of the virtuosity had dimmed a little by then, and Ferdinand Leitner's accompaniments are a trifle slack and uninspired.

Here is one jaded collector's view of those recordings that ought to be auditioned in order to get the full measure of these fabulous works:

Piano Concerto #4. To my mind, this is Beethoven's finest piano concerto: it was the first ever to start off with the piano solo (no orchestral introduction), and the slow mvt. is simply sublime. Unlike the 5th, this one has two different cadenza choices for the 1st mvt., both written by Beethoven: the first is rather short and fiery, the second is longer and the more frequently played of the two. Some pianists "adapt" it (Hansen with Furtwangler, Rubinstein/Krips, Backhaus/Krauss, Solomon/Cluytens, etc.), while a few either opt for versions composed by others (e.g., Brahms, Saint-Saens, Reinecke), or choose to play their own (Kempff). In the 3rd mvt., there are also alternative cadenzas (e.g., Edwin Fischer plays the d'Albert, Rubinstein/Beecham goes with Saint-Saens, etc.). So there is some real justification here for having more than one version of this concerto in your collection.

There are so many readings to choose from here! Two that are very highly regarded by others are Gilels/Jochum (to my ears, it's just a little TOO perfect) and Pollini/Bohm, which strikes me as being more about pianistic fluency than musical perception. Those I would most recommend auditioning are the 1947 Haskil/Zecchi (deleted Decca - it's coupled with Lipatti's superb "live" Schumann Concerto with Ansermet), Cor de Groote c.1953 with Willem von Otterloo (this rare Epic LP REALLY needs a good CD transfer, along with the other 4 concertos in that gorgeous set), the 1939 Kempff (with Abendroth on Music & Arts 1065, with hair-raising accounts of the "Eroica" and 9th Symphonies), the 1953 Kempff with Paul van Kempen (from the complete concertos with the BPO on DG 435744), the 1963 Moravec/Turnovsky (on VAI - it has a spine-tingling account of Beethoven's 1st mvt. early cadenza), the 1954 Edwin Fischer/Philharmonia (he also conducts - but the Testament CD transfer is terrible), the live 1943 Conrad Hansen with Furtwangler/BPO (Tahra & other CD labels), and two by Schnabel: the 1933 Sargent/LSO (Dante, Pearl or Philips) and the 1942 Stock/Chicago Sym. (excellent mono sound on RCA).

Of these, my favorite is the Schnabel/Sargent, closely followed by the Schnabel/Stock, Kempff/Abendroth, and Hansen/Furtwangler. Kempff's cadenza in the 1st mvt. is really intriguing, and the way it re-joins the orchestra is utterly ethereal.

Piano Concerto #5. To my mind, the great ones here are the magnificent Fischer/Furtwangler (on his Vol. 2 in Philips "Great Pianists" series), Kempff/Kempen (DG), Schnabel/Sargent and Schnabel/Stock, de Groote with Otterloo and the Hague Phil. (Epic LP), Hansen/Bohm (Musicaphon), and the "live" 1942 de Groote with Mengelberg and the Concertgebouw (on a fabulous 10-CD box set from Q-Disc). The latter has a unique poetry from the pianist and sensational conducting from Mengelberg - it's my favorite along with the Fischer, Schnabel/Sargent, and Kempff with Kempen. For a superb stereo recording, try chasing down the cheap Allegretto Vox CD recording by Dubravka Tomsic/Anton Nanut. The conducting is nothing special, but this is a wonderful collaboration - and the sound is exceptionally warm and realistic.

If your primary interest is in obtaining Kempff's finest accounts, I would strongly recommend getting his complete set with Kempen on DG, supplemented by that terrific Abendroth set on M & A. You will then have a virtual embarrassment of riches!

For many listeners around the world, Wilhelm Kempff still remains as the authentic voice of Beethoven. The expressive and peerless phrasing of this colossal pianist simply has no parallel in the music. Luxuriant, elegance, class, flair, energy, and absolute domain of the span makes of him one the supreme interpreters of Beethoven.

In this case his collaboration with Ferdinand Leitner brings us a performance where wisdom and elegance shake hands; Kempff was always surrounded of that supreme conviction, that undeniable commitment about the significance of Beethoven's legacy. That's why his sound looks like the rest and nevertheless no one sounds like him.

To my mind, his version of the Fourth is unbeatable but I rather his Emperor reading with Paul van Kempen of the Fifties.

Near-the-top performances of Kempff here. Absolute greatness in the fourth concerto, but the Emperor is also splendid.
I think that Kempff has a wonderful 'playfulness'. Extraordinary delicacy, light but sure of touch.
And don't skip it because of the price; DG is to be applauded for making available so many classics at so low a price {mid-price}.
I'm definitely not an informative in-depth reviewer, but trust me on this one...
Excellent!

This set of two latest piano concerto by maestro Beethoven should be a must for each lover of the composer's works. Wilhelm Kempff himself described the 4th Concerto as the most beautiful of the five, which is interesting, given the fact it's not that well-known as the "Emperor" (No.5). But for newcomers, one listen to the Fourth is enough. Especially the first movement, carrying breathtaking beauty throughout, is heavenly. And the playing remains such all the way. This may well be what Beethoven wanted this concertos to be played like.
There is probably not a few of us whose eyes fill with tears when listening to the slow movement of the "Emperor" -- one of the most wonderful compositions ever written. Here, the Adagio un poco mosso is not played too slowly or maudlingly, but with tender elegance, and the result is sublimely overwhelming. Imagine what experience Wilhelm Kempff must have amassed until the time he recorded this at the age of 65 in 1961. It shows.
It's not the immediate virtuosity that catches your attention while listening to this disc, but it's its pristine beauty -- like tripping over a calm winter pond in the middle of frozen windstorm. Compositionally, No.4 is more lyrical, while No.5 more epical -- there are even moments similar to Pastoral Symphony No.6 to be heard in the "Emperor" concerto. Hats off also to Berliner Philharmoniker.
With this you can't go wrong. It's a gem.

I purchased this disc since I had come to enjoy Kempff's playing of the Beethoven sonatas, and I was mostly pleased.

Kempff's performance of the G-Major Concerto is the best I have ever heard: lyrical and luminous, mysterious in the slow movement, boisterous in the finale, passionate but introverted, as the music itself is. These qualities do hamper him a bit, however, in the "Emperor," a piece which finds Beethoven in his extroverted, public-square-on-display mood. Kempff's playing, while superb, lacks some of the necessary elan to make the performance completely satisfying. For both concertos, Ferdinand Leitner and the BPO provide a wonderful accompaniment, and the winds get to be heard more than von Karajan usually let them.

Recommended.