Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4

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

 

 

Lang Lang has nothing to prove to the public, who have embraced him worldwide as a megastar. But critics are another matter. His meteoric rise came too fast for them, and they doubt his maturity, taste, even his sincerity. I for one am a fan, despite hearing one disappointing live recital in Boston, so I was eager to hear great things in this pairing of Beethoven's Piano Concertos #1 and #4.

To begin with, we get excellent sound from DG for both piano and orchestra, and Eschenbach leads the Orchestre de Paris in clean striaghtforward accompaniments. From the first entry of the piano, however, the spotlight is on Lang Lang. He shows a happy affinity for the First Concerto, keeping the rhythms light and springy; he punctuates a bit sharply at times but overall conveys buoyant cheer. The long, lovely melodic line in the Largo sounds as edelicate and refined as Mozart in Lang Lang's hands. The finale could show more brio but is fine. Is this a reading for the ages? No. One can think of several others, from Fleisher, ARgerich, Michelangeli, and Richter in particular, that scale the heights, while Lang Lang remains in the middle distance.

His real challenge comes in the great Fourth Concerto, a much deeper work and one suited to Lang Lang's sensitive touch. Despite his reputation for keyboard wizardry, this pianist tends toward poise and luricism. Here he gets a chance to shine, which he does--within limits. The recorded history of the Fourth contains great readings from Gieseking, Edwin Fischer, Rudolf Serkin, Fleisher, and Kempff, just to mention a few favorites. Lang Lang plays very well, and he is never less than fine, but I don't hear enough individual personality. Marvelous as his technique and phrasing can be, he needs a decade more maturity.

Overall, the musicality of these performances should quiet the critics if they are willing to listen honestly and not through preconceived notions. The fingerwork in the first movement dazzles, the hushed bridge between the slow movement and the finale brings a shiver, and the finale itself, if not up to Serkin's blazing standard, shows many nice touches. (I only wish Lang Lang had let himself go; the rhythms are a little cautious and foursquare.) Four stars are well deserved.

I've always felt that Lang Lang should restrict himself to Mozart and early Beethoven, and this recording of the Beethoven concertos convinces me further of this. His recording of the first concerto is fine; he gives a real sense of the classical period through a bold approach. However, when this same approach is applied to the fourth concerto, it comes across as raw and bland. Lang Lang has no depth of mood; he shifts between the only three colors he knows without bothering to connect passages together. This approach simply does not pass when performing a piece where the first movement alone is twenty minutes long. With such a piece, it is crucial to keep the "big picture" intact. Lang Lang knows how to make the piano sound strong, sensitive, or excited, but doesn't know anything between. This is not often a limitation with Mozart's piano works, which have the same sudden, constant mood-swings that characterize Mozart's personality, hence why I say Lang Lang should stick to the classical period.
What depth Lang Lang lacks aurally he tries to make up for with grandiose swaying and gestures in front of audiences, but with a recording there is nothing to cover up his disconnected, shallow sound. As a previous reviewer noted, the orchestra is quite subpar, though it doesn't detract too often from the piano, which is quite clear. Lang Lang shows off his technique through excellent articulation and velocity when necessary. However, his musicality is substantively lacking, and the essence of the music is left behind.

Yes, I feel that the Lang Lang image has overtaken the musicality. But I must give the young man some credit here; he has taken on a couple of very complex cadenzas, and he does play the pieces quite well. Beethoven certainly does run the gamut of emotions, and the joy is definitely missing in these performances. Lang Lang turns the listener's attention to himself with exaggerated rubatos and dynamics, but the technique is clean and smooth.
When I started my classical music label, I learned to listen to recordings on many levels and I must give credit to his recording team at Emil Berliner Studios. The production is flawless; the balance between orchestra and piano is perfect, the image is exactly as you would hear in the concert hall.
Most people don't need the narcissistic 16-page booklet, so downloading is recommended.

I received this disc of Beethoven piano concertos by Lang Lang on the same day as his Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Paganini Rhapsody, and listened to both for the first time this weekend. Like many, I was disappointed by the Rachmaninov Piano Ct. No. 2 with Valery Gergiev, but this compact disc, featuring Ludwig Von Beethoven's Piano Cts. Nos. 1 & 4, with the young Chinese star and Christoph Eschenbach directing the Orchestre de Paris, is a pleasing success that vividly shows that abundant potential that Lang Lang possess.
Where he was lackluster & showed little decisiveness in the Rach. #2, he plays with verve & focus on this Beethoven cd. His playing is more sharp & expressive here than on the Rachmaninov concerto; Lang Lang really seems to be enjoying himself with Beethoven. Much credit goes to Eschenbach, who proves a much better collaborator for the young virtuoso than Gergiev. Being a brilliant pianist himself, Maestro Eschenbach seems much better attuned to the sensibilities of his superstar in the making.
Technically speaking, Lang Lang is excellent on this Beethoven release, which should go a long way to cementing a stellar reputation that up to this point, perhaps, he has not quite deserved. With further seasoning & more experience under his belt, Lang Lang should easily find acceptance as one of the finest pianists of his time. With more performances like this disc of Beethoven's first & fourth piano concertos, I'm sure he will.
Perhaps five stars is just a shade indulgent given the pianist's youth & inexperience, but I really did enjoy this one and given a fair & open-minded airing, I'm sure other listeners will also.
Highly recommended, with no reservations! There are no disappointments here!

Here, I diverge from most of the reviewers. Lang Lang's performance strikes me as marvelously balanced and effective. The Concerto No. 1 is performed here with youthful elan and high spirits in the outer movements: clean articulation and a nice bounce. The first movement cadenza is unfamiliar to me. It is not the rather perfunctory cadenza Beethoven wrote out for his pupil Archduke Rudolf (which I'm not sure Beethoven used when he himself performed the concerto; he probably improvised on the spot). The one in this recording is long. I don't know the cadenza literature; perhaps it's by Lang Lang or Eschenbach. Definitely a novelty for me; not bad. The slow movement has sentiment, yet it is cool in demeanor; we are still in a Mozartean world. The Fourth Concerto is played here with brilliance and virtuosity; Beethoven is assured and assertive and this concerto was meant as a showcase piece. Lang Lang articulates the runs and other passage work cleanly and precisely. The slow movement is ravishing in his performance: such delicacy and restraint!

The "but" part of this review rests with the "supporting cast." Let's face it, the Orchestre de Paris is not a first tier outfit. The woodwinds are particularly weak, the first clarinet is rather insensitive in phrasing and not attractive in tone. And Eschenbach is not the man to whip this ensemble into shape (perhaps a few kicked over music stands and score-throwing tantrums a la Toscanini would have helped). The ensemble work of the strings borders on the sloppy; the tuttis are leaden. I understand Eschenbach is a lovely person; Lang Lang seems devoted to him, as is Renee Fleming (the orchestral work on her Strauss disc with Eschenbach is terrible!) I just feel he is not a top-tier conductor. If the recording location had been a bit livelier, there might have been more allure to the sound, but the "room" is dead, dead, dead. Every careless entry is heard all too clearly. It's almost as bad as the dreaded Studio 8-H that Toscanini had to record in with the RCA Symphony. Lang Lang has not had good luck with his orchestral accompanists. His Tchaikovsky First with Barenboim and the Chicago was wonderful. But the Rachmaninov with Gergiev. . . not first rate. (Gergiev can be superb, but I think he cannot say "no" when asked to perform. I think if the East Transylvanian Fireman's Association Symphony Orchestra asked him to record some symphonies of Glazanov, he'd try to fit it into his crowded schedule.) G. is on auto-pilot there. Lang Lang's managers should choose his recording colleagues with great care.

So, to sort through all the above: Lang Lang 5 stars; the rest 1 star = 3 stars.

The sheer fact that some of those signing in here could decide to down rate this disc by such level reveals how nonsensical the so-called classical music market has become.
I don't care how Lang Lang `behaves' at the pianoforte. These are quite irrelevant to his music, as any seasoned listener would tell. Lang Lang and Eschenbach both embark on what could be called a novel to almost revolutionary course in this recording. Instead of resorting to `copy and paste' of some Gilels, some Kempff, some Pletnev and many others, Lang/Eschenbach work on originality. The result yields plenty of fireworks and impassioned music, showering listeners with unexpected joy note after note.
Lang Lang has managed to present `his' version of Beethoven's two challenging concertos for the pianoforte (compare the LP version of the same two pieces by Eschenbach/Karajan decades ago) in his lusciously youthful style, yet leaving much more in his listeners (not for those who adamantly refuse to `listen', though) to long for his future re-releases of these same pieces, where definitely more new things could and would be said then.
As for the collaboration, however revolutionary in interpretation, however unconventional in expression, both Lang and Eschenbach are never in doubt as to where and when to hold on to the reigns, and when and where to let go, even though at times at the least expected places. The teamwork is almost perfect. The cadenza of the first movement of No. 4 is shatteringly novel, while the third movement is one whole piece of explosive firework blowing the listeners away. The No.4 alone justifies the cost for this disc.
I absolutely look forward to the Lang/Eschenbach collaboration of Beethoven's Choral Fantasy, and more others.

I could not agree more with Christoph Eschenbach's observation about Lang Lang - of the multi-repertoire that young Lang has savoured since his child prodigy days, he requires a specialty composer so as to be able to dwell deeper into the musical language, and Beethoven is probably the best choice for him.
I have listened and greatly admired the Harnoncourt Beethoven piano concertos (Harnoncourt being one of my favorite contemproary conductors since the 1970's). The orchestration in that recording was simply superb, and the character, style and soul of Harnoncourt in Beethoven's works hard to beat.
Eschenbach's conducting here is also good, but to my personal view, not as good as Harnoncourt's. This may be subjective, but I do find the authenticity in Beethoven's style some what lacking here.
Then the soloist - I must say that the soloist in Harnoncourt's set could not be compared with Lang Lang here. (Again my subjective view). That is not to say that Lang's playing is perfect, nor the best. Why compare him with Argerich? Argerich had declined Harnoncourt's invitation to record for HIM then, because she does not play the entire set of Beethoven Concertos, and would not want to learn those that she did not know.
So much for the mature pianist. The two concertos chosen here could indeed still be improved upon, though one must bear in mind that the 4th is considered to be the most introverted piano concertos of Beethoven, and Lang Lang had tuned down much of his highly inflammatory style. Lang's playing could interestingly be compared to Wilhelm Kempff's made in 1962 (when the pianist was 67 years old). Cannot imagine a young chap to be so reserved in this piece. A result of the vast criticisms he's got from negative reviewers?
The 3rd movement of the 1st concerto really should be more fiery, but Lang Lang some how missed the fireworks in this movement.
Lang Lang, so far, has NOT established himself as a virtuoso of any specialty, much unlike his compatriot Yundi Li. Well, in my humble view this is something that he should do right now. And I've heard that he is going to record more Beethoven concertos with Eschenbach. This is certainly good news.

One thing Lang Lang is generally not known for is restraint in his performances. Usually one is treated to a spectacle of technique to burn, but often untempered by artistry --- and the result tends to be over-the-top and self-indulgent.

I don't know if Lang Lang is listening to his critics --- if he is, give him credit where credit is due. He has his armies of adoring fans who will scarf up whatever recordings he may foist upon them, and without complaint. He is a commercial success --- he really doesn't need to answer to the critics. But apparently he is trying to show those nay-sayers among us that he can play with poise, restraint and self-discipline.

Unfortunately, he doesn't really seem to know how to do that yet. The result is (if one can imagine) simultaneously encouraging & disappointing. On the one hand, one can find hope that perhaps in a few more years, he can return to these pieces and dig a little deeper beneath the surface. On the other hand, these performances are hardly ones of the ages.

His Opus 15 performance sounds cautious for the most part, and at times even as though he is afraid to move beyond what is on the page. Opus 58, sadly, looks to be totally beyond his artistic abilities at this point. I hate to use the word "soulless" as others have --- but what the hell, I have to call it what it is. Sometimes he just sucks the life out of the piece.

For Lang Lang, the challenge seems to be finding that happy medium between the utterly flamboyant & the hopelessly pedantic. He hasn't found it yet. At least he's looking for it, or so it would appear. I have had precious little good to say about him in the past, so it's nice to see that he's trying to grow, even a little.

He can do anything with a piano. All he needes now is to grow into these masterpieces.

Does he play Beethoven at all? If you like Beethoven piano concerto, please listen to Backhaus, Schnabel, Fischer or Perahia!