Customer Reviews

Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 4

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

 

 

After all the years since their initial release on LP, these performances still shine. Casadesus defines 'elegance' in pianism, but he is never cold or remote. Van Beinum and the Concertgebouw provide excellent support, and the sound is good for it's age. Casadesus may not have gotten the acclaim accorded to Rubenstein and Horowitz, but he was their equal (and in the French repertory, their superior). NOW: if there is any justice in this world, we'll also get the Casadesus/Mitropolous/NYP 'Emperor', recorded in Paris.

I purchased this title from Amazon since I am a big fan of both pianist Robert Casadesus and conductor Eduard Van Beinum. As I am relatively new to collecting classical music, and was not even born when these performances were recorded in 1959, I had no idea they even existed. This CD is an import by Sony France and is part of a series called "Robert Casadesus: A Legend of the Piano," that features 20 titles! Some of the recordings have been available in other collections domestically but many of them, like this title, are being released on CD for the first time. As far as the music itself goes, these are memorable, first rate performances of the First and Fourth Beethoven Piano Concertos, on par with the dozen other accounts I own but just a notch below my personal favorites by Fleisher/Szell. I would certainly buy this title again!