Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2

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Murray Perahia is regarded by many as the pianist's pianist. He shows the highest level of musicianship and preparation, which more than compensates for his narrow repertoire as a Mozart specialist. He simply never makes an ugly sound on the piano, and he never turns a phrase poorly or unmusically. There is a reason why pianists flock to his concerts and treasure his recordings: his musicianship is truly impeccable.

While some of his more recent performances have shown an unusual number of technical mistakes, this performance comes from his series of the complete Beethoven piano concerti recordings in the 1980s with Haitink and the Concertgebouw when Perahia was in top form. For those who like their Beethoven with excessive Romanticism or virtuousity from the late 19th century retroactively applied, Perahia will disappoint (while Fleisher and Ashkenazy might be considered more appropriate); for those who value careful craftsmanship and a beautiful tone, Perahia will satisfy. Let's hope that he decides to undertake a cycle of the complete piano sonatas next.

I want to say the sound on these CD's is superb. The warmth and clarity is outstanding. The dynamic range is just as it should be. The quiet moments are quiet but not lost, as is so often the case. As far as the performance goes, I find them true to the spirit of the compositions. These concertos do represent a very classical Beethoven who was still learning to write for the Symphony. To impose some pseudo or artificial romanticism on these classical sonatas would be ghastly. In fact, that is my very problem with the Klemperer/Barenboim rendition of these same pieces (the quiet sections of which you cannot here unless you are using headphones, or sitting in TOTAL silence, certainly not driving or working at a PC!). There is a wonderful genuine expression on these Perahia/Haitink recordings that bring life to this music. Outstanding!

These pristine concertos are perfectly rendered by Perahia. They are uplifting, inspirational and capable of transforming the listener. Perahia's work is magical! Haitink and the Concertgebouw provide excellent balance and support.

In my opinion the Perahia recordings of the Beethoven five are the gold standard in recordings of this music. I also own various recordings by Kempff, Schnabel, Rubinstein, Pollini, and Cliburn of this same music, but Perahia delivers outstanding musicianship in a modern recording.

Since these are early digital recordings, they may lack the ultimate warmth of sound of modern CD's. But I don't find them grating or offensive in this department.

These are the recordings (of all five) that I listen to most frequently.

I am tempted to call this Beethoven Lite, although that really wouldn't be doing the performances justice. Perahia brings his sense of 18th Century style to these performances. There is no pounding and no overt muscularity to the playing. Rather the whole thing is beautifully modulated, with much sensitivity to tone production and clear articulation. I have found on listening to this disc repeatedly that my mind drifts from time to time. There is not the electricity one finds on certain recordings, such as Rudolf Serkin's with Ormandy. Nevertheless, this is a perfectly credible way to play these works, especially in light of the original instruments revolution. Haitink is a splendid partner for Perahia. The tone of the orchestra is beautiful and somewhat light, never overwhelming the reticent soloist. The sound engineering is excellent early digital, superbly balanced and with lovely tone from the orchestra. I'm not sure if these are among the best recordings of these concertos, but this certainly is a very interesting disc.

I have always been a fan of Murray Peraiha's recordings. Recently I decided to explore all of Beethoven's piano concertos and needed a recording of No. 2 to complete my set. Fortunately, Peraiha's includes No. 1 with the No. 2. I've always loved the No. 1 with its syncopated jazz references.

The best recording of Concerto No. 2 I have ever heard. The performance is lively and inspired and the recording has terrific dynamic range. A great CD.

I find Perahia and Haitink's set of the Beethoven concerti to be a very interesting one, albeit one that never quite delivers justice to Beethoven the symphonist. On this disc, we hear Beethoven's first two concerti, and I'll have to say that both Perahia and Haitink catch on to what might be the most important ingredient in these works: youthfulness. This is Beethoven that sounds fresh and imaginative. But equally prominent is some of the most touching moments of lyricism you'll ever hear. Both of our musicians seem to know just how to make Beethoven sound heartfelt, even nostalgic. Perahia's tone is delicate, bringing much sensitivity into the picture. And Haitink and the Concertgebouw sound wonderfully cheery, with the lightness for which this orchestra is so famous predominant. There's a sense of dashing fun that both Perahia and Haitink seem to have caught on to; everything is certainly done in good spirits.

What you won't get here is the Beethoven of unparalleled structural genius. For all the catchiness of this recording, I would love to hear more power, more strength. Reminders of these qualities in the concerti can only serve as a plus. Perahia and Haitink don't have this in them, although it's probably not accidental. This is a recording that suggests that perhaps you don't need to think of Beethoven in terms of sheer greatness. And while I don't necessarily share the same musical philosophy, it's certainly carried out very effectively here. I will continue to turn to it for a delightful way of looking at these such obvious masterpieces.

The second coming has nothing on the Gramophone's ecstasy when this CD appeared in 1987: "...it is a pleasure to salute such all-round excellence; a very remarkable soloist, superb orchestral playing and direction, and a recording which gets everything right." Tosh. Perahia and Haitink join forces to deliver readings that are risk-free, impersonal, and completely lacking in passion. compare any ten-bar stretch with performances bySerkin, Argerich, Pletnev, and Kissin, and the contrasts jump out at you. I am an admirer of early Perahia, but his latter career descended into a style that valued moderation in all tings. That isn't to subtract from his artistry, and taste. In both of Beethoven's early concertos his playing is poised and stylish. He has a gift for lyrical phrasing that is especially winning in the slow movements. But he never pounces eagerly and gets carried away, never gives in to exuberance or attempts acts of heroism, even though Beethoven's music invites all those things.

In a way history has proved kind to Perahia's Beethoven cycle, since present-day pianists tend to be even more cautious and middle-of-the-road than he was. He's not a harbinger of HIP style, though; the piano generally has a big tone, as does Haitink's orchestral accompaniments. At times Perahia actually lets loose, as in the long first movement cadenza that is the best part of Cto. #1. His vitality and assured phrasing are exemplary; they seem to come from another performance altogether. The slow movement that follows is beautifully done as well, and the Rondo Allegro that ends the work is stylishly managed, even if one misses the quirky originality and high spirits of Pletnev on DG. Perahia is doing more than putting one foot ahead of the other, but of dramatic contrast there is little.

As you'd expect, Cto. #2 is cut form the same cloth. I like the fact that Haitink doesn't miniaturize the orchestral sound to make this sound like late Haydn; you hear Beethoven himself, or at least strong hints of what he would turn into. Perahia's solo part stays on the refined side, but he mostly resists the urge to diminish Beethoven by too much caution. If you value refined, restrained playing along the lines of Richard Goode and Paul Lewis, my criticisms won't matter. Pianist and conductor are of one mind in the slow movement, taken a bit gravely, and the final Rondo, marked "moderate," certainly is that

Memories of more exciting pianism aren't erased, and I hope listeners will seek out the exuberance and originality of Pletnev's cycle on DG. That said, this installment in Perahia's cycle comes closer to the mark than his CD of Ctos. #3 and #4.