Beethoven: The Piano Concertos [Box set]

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Georg Solti (Conductor), Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Vladimir Ashkenazy (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Vladimir Ashkenazy
• Orchestra: Chicago Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Georg Solti
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (June 24, 1997)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0000041K9
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,606 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #65 in Music > Classical > Instruments > Keyboard > Piano

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Each of these performances has its own profile. The orchestra plays incisively in the First Concerto, but Ashkenazy's plush lyricism doesn't make a good match either with the orchestra or with the music, and he makes one weird ritard in the first movement. The Second Concerto is uneventful, rather bland and pleasant. The Third Concerto seems to be the best performance of the lot, with dramatic playing by soloist and orchestra, but it's sabotaged by blurry recorded sound, the only serious problem with sound quality in the entire set. The Fourth Concerto is enlivened, at least intellectually, by Solti's approach, constantly revealing interesting unfamiliar details in the orchestral score. Ashkenazy's detachment makes this a frosty but fascinating experience. The "Emperor" is a good routine performance, nothing special. The Bagatelles aren't much of a bonus, since they're rather dully played. (Why not the "Choral" Fantasy?) There's nothing actively bad about this set, and it's reasonably priced. But Beethoven deserves better, and gets it from many performers, including the fascinating Uchida-Sanderling collaborations. --Leslie Gerber

Product Description

This product is packaged in a double jewel case (3 discs), made in Germany.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unsurpassed after a quarter century, September 16, 2001

By 

Stan Vernooy (Henderson, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beethoven: The Piano Concertos (Audio CD)

This recording is not only the best set of the Beethoven Piano Concertos I know of, but also represents the peak performances in the history of Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony. For some reason, after the mid-70s, Solti increasingly emphasized power at the expense of musicality, and the sound of the orchestra became more strident and astringent.

But these performances, having all the power and excitement of the later Chicago Symphony recordings, also have warmth, love, and sweetness. Ashkenazy too was at his peak in these recordings. His later cycle, in Cleveland, lacks the bite and depth of involvement that you can find here.

If you want a capsule summary of the performance philosophy of these performances, it is easy to describe: they are unapologetically romantic. In my opinion, the Third and Fourth concertos are particularly fine. Both Ashkenazy and Solti find exactly the right combination of power and beauty in both works, and the quality of the performances is further emphasized by the gorgeous sound.

And speaking of sound, those who believe that a recording has to be DDD in order to have state-of-the-art sound need to listen to these recordings. The subsequent digital recordings of these works that I have heard are all comparatively cold and clinical.

I consider it unfortunate that in the last 25 years music has been more of an intellectual or historical exercise than an emotional experience or an appreciation of beauty. But back in the 70s when this was recorded, Solti and Ashkenazy had not been infected by those negative trends.

Looking at the individual concertos, I have a slight preference for Richter's recording of the First and the Serkin/Bernstein recording of the "Emperor" (Fifth). But if you want a complete set of outstanding performances of all five Beethoven concertos, I don't think there is another set that comes close to these.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ashkenazy at his best?, August 20, 1999

By 

Viđar Pálsson ([e-mail]) (Garđabćr, Iceland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: The Piano Concertos (Audio CD)

As an admirer of these works I have listened to them in many versions. This set is highly recommendable and goes with Kempff/Leitner or Barenboim/Klemperer. No.1,2 and 5 are all well performed but the stars are 3 and 4. I guess that this recording of the 4th is the best I have ever heard (I must say though that I find the transfer to CD not as good as I would like it (I have it on LP)). In all the recordings of the Beethoven concertos I have heard I can always find something that I'd like better the other way but this recording of the 4th is an exception; in my mind it's flawless in every way.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ashkenazy and Solti at their best, February 28, 2001

By 

John Kwok (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beethoven: The Piano Concertos (Audio CD)

I agree with those who've given this set of Beethoven piano concerti high praise. Rarely have I've heard Ashkenazy play with such warmth and enthusiasm and Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are equally superb too, giving wonderful performances that do not overshadow Ashkenazy's fine playing. I doubt I've heard a more compelling version of the 4th Piano Concerto - except where noted below - and the 5th is just as fine as well. At any price, this has to rate as one of the best Beethoven piano concerto cycles out there. The only ones which I have a slight preference over this set are those with Alfred Brendel as soloist and James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a series of live performances during the early 1980's and the mid 1980's studio recordings of Claudio Arrau with Sir Colin Davis conducting the Dresden Staatskapelle. Both were recorded by Philips and are substantially more expensive than the Ashkenazy/Solti Decca set.