Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 3 & 4

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Apparently Perahia's crystalline Beethoven is not to everyone's taste. If you're looking for rugged Beethoven, you would do better to look elsewhere. What I find impressive about these Perahia interpretations, however, is their classical restraint, taking the form of carefully molded phrasing, which comes across to some as aloofness. This restraint is necessary in preserving Perahia's crystalline purity of tone. NOBODY can match Perahia in the evenness and leggiero touch of his scales in the Third Concerto, for example. The legendary performances of the past are irreplaceable but these are uniquely special too! As for the sound, there is a definite preference for a concert hall perspective here: the mikes are placed at a reasonable distance in a reverberant acoustic, which INCREASES dynamic range by properly conveying pianissimos in contrast to the tutti moments. Perhaps others prefer close-up recording balances but I like how these recordings convey sonic details in realistic perspective.

One is lost for words when faced with music making of this calibre. Perahia's perfect sense of phrasing, his poetry, his wondrous control of tone production, his powerful sense of drama and his lyricism, never resorting to bombast or histrionics, make this without a doubt one of the great recorded couplings of these two works. And Haitink's broad, contemplative readings, while never lacking thrust or impetus, show us both sides of Beethoven's character; not just the virtuosic showman, but also Beethoven the philosopher and poet. A fine example of this is in the 4th's central movement. Nowhere else has Liszt's description of this elusive music, 'Orpheus taming the Furies' seemed more apt then here; the breathtaking purity and transluscent milkiness of Perahia's perfectly shaped lines gradually embue the grave and tragic utterances of the orchestra to leniancy.

This is a must. Among the greatest Beethoven recordings of the last 20 years.

It is with good reason that the 2005 Gramophone Guide to Classical CDs lists this among their most praised versions of Beethoven Concertos 3 and 4. Indeed Perahia's entire Beethoven concerto cycle ranks with Kempff as among the best avaialble. (I personally recommend Perahia or Rubinstein for Concertos 1, 2 and 4; Kempff for 1-4; Serkin for 3 and 5; Richter for 5.) The lighter, chamber quality of the Haitink's Concertgebouw offers a nice variation from the standard, more heavy orchestral execution of these pieces. This gives both pieces the more intiment feeling of a recital than a concert hall. Perahia's interpretations are deft and appealing. This is an excellent recording. Perahia perhaps shines most in the Fourth, where power is effectively balanced with appropriate delicacy. While always technically proficient, Perahia's performance does not eschew the emotional investment we've come to expect from his Mozart, Richter's Prokofiev, or Rubinstein's Chopin.

What I like about this album is that Perahia here is trying to express something inexplicable, with his right hand touch and shaping, of the overtone sometimes milky but always potently articulated and weighed to different pitches and nuance, one sounds like almost peculiarly Perahian. It is really fine that way, trying rather to do something with right hand, uniquely perahian better than to do away with others things that perhaps his contemporaries share. I know he likes Mieczyslaw Horszowski, and has similarity with Rudolf Serkin (in his early Beethoven recordings in the 1950's) in my view this Beethoven 4th Concerto share the same 'teeth' as it were trying to make sense out of urgent issues such that Beethoven might have wanted to express rather explicitly in the 4th Concerto. Though Perahia here balance things out, not with one continuous blow contiguously fired upon in an even scale and scope of the whole movement expressed as Rudolf Serkin does in his early days, perahian thinking and methodology would prevail here in much the same concept as what stems the ground or essentials, with much different approach that here argued on his usage of his right hand, peculiarly potent, but always effective as conveyance to his other attributes that make up the whole, almost a lot of ground to cover the what is perhaps a weak link to this wonderfully lively sculptor, that what have not been sought, in others words, have sort its way out into one terrific gesture of accommodation and perhaps most effective compromises. His right hand to me is a powerful tool or outlet enabling him to express the inexpressible. His left hand too is very powerful and sustained with control so that it hardly runs out of breath, nor punch, maybe much is alike with Maurizio Pollini's, high calibre left hand presence thereby rendered.

Concerto No. 3 accompanied with 4th is ideal in its layout not missing anything essential nor structure of the work dissipates with breathing sequences in the given work. All details that would sustain the momentum has scrupulously laid out open in one sequence after another, orderly way, many details have judiciously set themselves forth not compromising the integrity of structure (in the third movement toward the end). Perahia here also adopts in the first movement Beethoven's own cadenza in which he shows some of the pyrotechnic. No nonsense direction from Bernard Hatink and balance engineers too have made this record more valuable outside the scope of my review.

I think Perahia and Haitink have lots of interesting things to say in their set of the Beethoven concerti, even though I don't find it entirely satisfying. But the performance of the 3rd concerto on this disc lacks a lot of the good qualities I found myself admiring in the other concertos. I don't know why, but for some unknown reason, the music doesn't have the same infectious lyricism that the rest of the set offers. Sure, some of it is still there, but after comparing it to the other concertos, it sounds rather flat. Sure, the Concertgebouw still plays with finesse, Perahia plays with sensitivity, and the musicians seem to have a balanced tone. But this performance takes even less chances than in the other concerti, and you have to keep in mind that Perahia and Haitink aren't very risky to begin with. You'll get your music played with all the right notes and good sound, but forget anything dramatic. I call it a misfire.

But thankfully, everybody wakes up in the 4th. In fact, this is by far the best of Perahia's set if you ask me. On its own, this deserves five solid stars. I'm not sure what exactly it is that makes it on such a higher plane than the other concerti. Perhaps it is simply because the concerto itself is more suited to our musicians' approach. Regardless, this is a beautiful rendition, filled with ravishing tenderness, soaring lyricism, and a kind of high spirited exuberance. I have to think of the finale, where Haitink lets the Concertgebouw get off their feet--almost literally. Everywhere there is so much of interest that I find myself listening in rapt attention. Is it big and masculine? No, of course not (this is still Perahia), but who cares? It's wonderful. Definitive? Well, if it's not, it's awfully close.

3 stars for the 3rd, 5 for the 4th. I'll round everything to 4 stars, but I don't want the subtraction of one star to keep you from getting the disc. The 4th is a winner.

Perahia said in an interview that one of the things Horowitz said to him is that to be more than a virtuoso, one first must be a virtuoso. This statement comes back to me in considering this CD. The first thing one confronts is the fact of how beautifully Perahia plays the piano. In tone quality, articulation, balance, and dynamics, this is simply gorgeous pianism. These two concertos benefit from beautiful playing to a degree that the other three Beethoven concerti seem to require less of, as they have other salient qualities. Tempos are moderate throughout--there's nothing in these performances one would not recognize as echt Beethoven. The phrasing in the slow movement of No. 4 is especially moving, a moment that some soloists just coast through while Perahia finds it rich in meaning. Haitink's accompaniments are excellent, with the orchestra making a beautiful sound that complements Perahia's tone nicely. I have a VHS tape of Perahia playing the 4th Concerto with Sir Colin Davis and the N.Y. Philharmonic on Live from Lincoln Center in September 1987. His performance with Haitink is fully competitive with that event. The sound engineering on the CD is clear and well balanced, although it lacks some of the presence found on more recent recordings. In sum, a great Beethoven recording. I have Haitink's 1960's Amsterdam 4th with Arrau, another great artifact, but Perahia, though not excelling Arrau, is in the same league with him here.

Beethoven
Bernard Haitink

Piano Concerto No. 3 for Piano / Klavier & Orchestra
Piano Concerto No. 4 for Piano / Klavier & Orchestra

Murray Perahia - Piano / Klavier
The Concertgebouw Orchestra
(CBS Masterworks - "Digitally recorded" - 1986)

Both the 3rd and 4th are done very well and this CD is worthy of being in your collection. Four Star CD

This CD was a surprise. The playing is excellent. The interpretation is exquisite and the tone of the piano is full and melodious. I enjoyed it very much and will come back for more of this artiste.

Although it hasn't been a steady progression without detours, Perahia's playing has moved from the vigor and brio of his early years to a more conventional style that relies on polish, assured phrasing, and moderation in all things. There are many fans of his Beethoven concerto cycle from the late Eighties. To me, however, this coupling of Ctos. #3 and #4, which won a Gramophone Award in 1986, is far too safe and lacking in imagination. Certainly the pairing of conductor and soloist matches well, since both have similar musical personalities (just as Bernstein and Serkin do in their riveting recording of Cto. #3 and the "Emperor").

The C minor concerto stands at the threshold to Beethoven's more heroic revolutionary style, and although I prefer for pianists to cross the threshold, many don't. Perahia's reading is decidedly classical -- even Brendel is more vigorous and propulsive -- and that would satisfy if only he showed more life. Haitink's accompaniment is smooth, polished, and very middle of the road; as I say, a good match. The sensitivity of Perahia's phrasing in the slow movement is quite lovely. The fact that it's a true Largo indicates that he is not being influenced by the speed demons of HIP style. The finale lacks zest, even though it is well played, with beautifully even, controlled runs. I can't see much reason to prefer this reading over half a dozen others crowding the middle lane.

The G major concerto brings out a softer, more yielding approach in many pianists, including Perahia. His opening solo entry is gentle to the point of lassitude. My inclination is for sharper contours (Serkin with Ormandy on Sony) or real originality and insight (Pletnev on DG). There is also a truly wild, off-the-ranch concert recording with Mitropoulos and Rubinstein (of all people) that the curious should seek out. I have time to remember those rivals during the long, uneventful orchestral introduction that Haitink provides. Perahia glides in without raising the temperature or the level of excitement. In the slow movement he once again displays his beautiful lyric touch, but the orchestra doesn't put up much fight when it growls at the piano. The performance climaxes, if that's the word, in a Rondo finale that is expert enough but lacking in joy. Perahia's phrasing of the second subject is almost timid.

In sum, not my kind of Beethoven playing, but one cannot deny that Haitink and Perahia take an approach more in keeping with today's demure pianists than the bold forebears who preceded them.

I am a big Haitink admirer, but this set is pretty bland, with little dynamic range and color and performances by Perahia that just skate on the surface of the music, even in deep, probing concerti like the 4th. The reviewer below who said Beethoven was his own man by the time of the C minor concerto has got it wrong: this is *the* most Mozartean of all Beethoven's concerti. It's a fact that Beethoven modeled it after Mozart's own C minor, which Beethoven admired boundlessly. (To his friend Kremer: "Listen to that! *We* shall never do anything like that." And he didn't.) The fire necessary even for minor-key Mozart is absent from these pedestrian readings, and Perahia gives everything the same monotonous glass sheen. There are so many competative sets out there one wonders why this has stayed in print for so long. Haitink's wonderful collaboration with Arrau has just come back into print, and even here you have to buy it as part of a 14-disc comprehensive Beethoven set. Worth it, but pricy!