Customer Reviews

Beethoven: The Piano Concertos

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These performances are stylish and lively. Zimerman is outstanding (and he even conducts), and the thing I like the best is that you can really hear the piano and orchestral detail very clearly. The recording balance of the soloist and orchestra is close which brings fantastic sound. The concertos Bernstein conducts with Zimerman at the keyboard are also quite good, with Bernstein avoiding some of the slow speeds that seemed to plague the last few years of his recording career. The playing of the VPO is peerless as expected.

Krystian Zimerman is my absolute No. 1 among the pianists of our time, not because he's Polish of course, but because he is a true magician. He is often accused, though, that his recordings lack passion, some kind of spontaneity etc. Indeed, it is a fact that Zimerman prepares each of them very carefully and releases them rarely. It is a fact that he studies the notes very long and corrects almost every phrase played before, in order to find even better way of interpretation. But I ask: what's the matter? Do this spontaineity really is necessary while buing a recording, especially a set of recordings? Or maybe one rather seeks his/her ideal, perfect in technique and deep in interpretation, and every "scratch" on these technique and interpretation makes him disappointed? Well, I know that I am such a person; when I buy a recording, I want it to be ideal. Absolute ideal. Whereas for Beethoven's e.g. Violin Concerto or Fidelio I haven't managed to find my ideal - I actually have for Missa Solemnis (Gardiner!), String Quartets (Alexander)... and for the magnificent Piano Concertos.

This set doesn't give me much place to write about, because, as I've just said, there is not even a scratch on this precious gem. Zimerman plays so wonderfully, that when I got the set and listened to all the pieces - I knew I'd immediately forget about my all 3 previous sets of the Concertos. And this happened. Now I listen to it no matter which movement of which concerto I want to hear, because here it is played far better than anywhere else. Do you imagine every note, every second played perfectly? I bet that in all recordings you have there are some moments you'd want to correct, play better. Not here. The cadenzas, brilliant. Parts in the foreground, as well as in the background, behind the orchestra, brilliant.

As for the orchestra, I can say with pleasure, that Bernstein is surely in his best form here. He doesn't conduct too slow, as he often does; he is the master of the orchestra, he controls them totally.

I should shut up, because it's getting too long, but one small thing: just listen to the samples. The comparison of small details in different recordings is great fun. I don't know whether it is in the sample, but try to compare e.g. the sound of the orchestra in the main theme of the Emperor Concerto's 1st movement in few recordings. Only here it is such a magnificent, sharp, clear melody. Or the beginning of Rondos in the 1st and 3rd. Or... OK, finished.

This is the recording of your dreams. Believe me.

Pozdrawiam,
Gustaw

Breathtakingly amazing! Mr Zimerman has been my favorite artist for a number of years, but he's outdone himself with this one. Many times emotion is compromised by technique. Not here. Tears are streaming down my face. It's simply overwhelmingly beautiful.

Fifteen years ago these performances, among the last conducted by Bernstein, were released briefly on laserdisc, as was the frustrating habit of Polygram Classics. They are, to my knowledge, the only complete set of the five Beethoven concertos ever released on home video.
In September of 1989 Bernstein conducted the THIRD, FOURTH and FIFTH (EMPEROR) in concert in Vienna. After his death, Zimerman and the Vienna Philharmonic decided to complete the set by recording the first two by themselves. Zimerman owns the first two, Bernstein owns the last three, so the set is a bit disjointed as sets go, but on video it is fascinating to see the reverence Zimerman has for the great conductor from the get-go, and how his own spirit of interpretation takes over once he gets artistic control of the early concertos. (Gustawie, you are right!) In addition to the differences of performance, there also are differences of venue--the first two are not in concert like the last three--and differences in recorded sound. One would think that the more controlled environment of the first two would yield a better sound, but not so, and there are even differences between the two of them, the FIRST being undermiked, while the SECOND is fine.
ADDENDUM NOVEMBER 2007
Deutsche Grammophon are now releasing on DVD this, one of the finest memorials that Bernstein could ever have had, his final EMPEROR, and the whole set finished in his honor.

This is a great, rock solid collection of Beethoven's Piano Concertos, with the great Leonard Bernstein conducting. What more could you ask for? I have several versions of each concerto, but this is the 'go to' CD when I want to hear them. The Emperor Concerto is, in my mind, the greatest piano concerto ever written.

I just purchased and promptly received this set from one of Amazon's outside vendors only to find in my utter despair and frustration that one of the performers--assume it is the pianist! as they are invariably the culprits in these situations, like that high IQ eccentric pain Gould ruining so many Bach keyboard recordings--was HUMMING! MUMBLING! Was so distracting totally ruined the music since it happened in every movement, no relief from concerto to concerto. How did the geniuses at DG let this fatal flaw go by? Am very angry since I passionately wanted this set given my worship of these concertos and current determination to collect multiple versions of them. A pox on the pianist who ruined this for me since the miking suggests he is indeed the villain rather than Mr. Bersnstein.