Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Simon Rattle (Conductor), Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra), Alfred Brendel (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Alfred Brendel
• Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
• Conductor: Simon Rattle
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (April 6, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B00000IIX1
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #204,567 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very good but not the best, January 13, 2000

By 

J. Buxton "cantabile" (Waltham, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos (Audio CD)

Several other reviewers seem to be reviewing other sets, for example DG's Complete Beethoven set. My review is for the Brendel/Rattle set of the five piano concertos. Overall it is a good set, and generally better than Brendel's other two recordings of the complete concertos. However, I must admit to a little disappointment with nos. 1 and 5, the Emperor. I think this stems mostly from the recording quality, which is just average. I think the orchestra's contribution cannot be heard as well as some other sets (Zimmerman on DG, and Ashkenazy with Cleveland on Decca), which is a pity since the Vienna Phil. does perform well as usual. I also thought Brendel's playing is a bit sloppy on the Fifth, almost as though he misses some notes. It doesn't seem like he and the orchestra are in perfect sync. The price is too high as others have noted. I'm also surprised by how highly praised this set was by both Gramophone magazine and the new Penguin Guide. I think they missed the boat. If you are buying the complete set, you might try Kempff with the Berlin Philharmonic on DG, Zimmerman with Bernstein on DG (particularly if you like the Vienna sound), or Ashkenazy as pianist and conductor with Cleveland on Decca. Any of these sets will bring lasting listening pleasure.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Brendel's always changing, refining, December 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos (Audio CD)

For anybody who is looking for the best set of Beethoven Concerto Performances on C.D. you would always have to consider Brendel. In matter of fact, if Brendel has recorded it all, whatever it may be, you would have to consider it. Such is the possibility with him that you may get a truly inspired, thought-out and before unheard approach to a work. He has more than his share of recordings that attain that level. He is a musician that can play a piece a hundred times and you would still find something fresh in his playing. These recordings are no different. Even though I own his superlative, re-mastered LIVE performances with the CSO, Levine conducting I eagerly bought the VPO, Rattle collection anxiously waiting to here his latest revelations on these masterworks. After reading the linear notes about how the VPO and Brendel had a special association I thought I was going to here sparks. Unfortunately, most of the sparks come from Brendel with just a few exciting touches from Rattle.

The playing of the VPO was far from what I expected, unclear, not pretty for the most part. Their playing pales next to the CSO's although I was expecting playing of the highest caliber. Plus Brendel's earlier live recording can not be beat for the thrill of hearing superb music making being created live on the spot for generations to come to hear. That recording is truly the one to own and at a steep discount to this one, I would find it incredible if any account mentioned in any other review here or anywhere else will ever be as incredible as those performances are. I personally need to hear none other than the early Brendel set in it's re-mastered format.

These performances only improve on the earlier set in the slow movement of the 4th and the conclusion(after the cadenza) of opening movement of the 3rd. The drama of the slow movement is fully carried out and the excitment of the cadence of the Third's opening movement is more successfully realized than in the CSO version. The only Beethoven Concerto cycle recording Brendel doesn't beat out with this set is his own earlier set.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Never quite catches on fire, June 20, 2001

By 

brad lonard (Sydney, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: The 5 Piano Concertos (Audio CD)

I was tremendously excited when I heard this set, recorded live, was in the pipeline, but actually listening to it left me somewhat disappointed. On paper, the lineup looks just about perfect: a great orchestra, one of the world's most exciting conductors, and *the* best Beethoven pianist alive. Yet the combination never quite catches fire like it's always promising to. The fact is, Rattle -- whose deeply probing musical mind has made many an old warhorse into a fresh new stallion -- doesn't seem quite at home in the Beethoven concertos. Brendel -- whose intelligence, virtuosity and mordant appreciation of wit eminently suits him to old Ludwig -- plays wonderfully, but in the end his earlier (studio) recordings of the works with Haitink are even finer and I'd recommend them over this newer set. This is surely a complete cycle of the piano concertos that has much fine playing and is extremely listenable. Perhaps it's unfair to expect more than that -- but I was.