Customer Reviews

Beethoven: The Piano Concertos

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This recording is not only the best set of the Beethoven Piano Concertos I know of, but also represents the peak performances in the history of Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony. For some reason, after the mid-70s, Solti increasingly emphasized power at the expense of musicality, and the sound of the orchestra became more strident and astringent.

But these performances, having all the power and excitement of the later Chicago Symphony recordings, also have warmth, love, and sweetness. Ashkenazy too was at his peak in these recordings. His later cycle, in Cleveland, lacks the bite and depth of involvement that you can find here.

If you want a capsule summary of the performance philosophy of these performances, it is easy to describe: they are unapologetically romantic. In my opinion, the Third and Fourth concertos are particularly fine. Both Ashkenazy and Solti find exactly the right combination of power and beauty in both works, and the quality of the performances is further emphasized by the gorgeous sound.

And speaking of sound, those who believe that a recording has to be DDD in order to have state-of-the-art sound need to listen to these recordings. The subsequent digital recordings of these works that I have heard are all comparatively cold and clinical.

I consider it unfortunate that in the last 25 years music has been more of an intellectual or historical exercise than an emotional experience or an appreciation of beauty. But back in the 70s when this was recorded, Solti and Ashkenazy had not been infected by those negative trends.

Looking at the individual concertos, I have a slight preference for Richter's recording of the First and the Serkin/Bernstein recording of the "Emperor" (Fifth). But if you want a complete set of outstanding performances of all five Beethoven concertos, I don't think there is another set that comes close to these.

As an admirer of these works I have listened to them in many versions. This set is highly recommendable and goes with Kempff/Leitner or Barenboim/Klemperer. No.1,2 and 5 are all well performed but the stars are 3 and 4. I guess that this recording of the 4th is the best I have ever heard (I must say though that I find the transfer to CD not as good as I would like it (I have it on LP)). In all the recordings of the Beethoven concertos I have heard I can always find something that I'd like better the other way but this recording of the 4th is an exception; in my mind it's flawless in every way.

I agree with those who've given this set of Beethoven piano concerti high praise. Rarely have I've heard Ashkenazy play with such warmth and enthusiasm and Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are equally superb too, giving wonderful performances that do not overshadow Ashkenazy's fine playing. I doubt I've heard a more compelling version of the 4th Piano Concerto - except where noted below - and the 5th is just as fine as well. At any price, this has to rate as one of the best Beethoven piano concerto cycles out there. The only ones which I have a slight preference over this set are those with Alfred Brendel as soloist and James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a series of live performances during the early 1980's and the mid 1980's studio recordings of Claudio Arrau with Sir Colin Davis conducting the Dresden Staatskapelle. Both were recorded by Philips and are substantially more expensive than the Ashkenazy/Solti Decca set.

After purchasing Ashkenazy's complete set of the Mozart concertos, I decided to get this one of the Beethoven concertos. Although some of the reviewers had voiced complaints about this set, I felt that it couldn't be that bad. Indeed, it's not that bad, but its not that good either.

To me, it seems as if Ashkenazy has no sense of style. His approaches to these concertos are more lyrical and romantic rather than classical. Take the first, for example. Ashkenazy treats the piano line as if he were playing Chopin. Solti, on the other hand, seems to feel that louder is better. Thus we have a very bizarre dialogue between piano and orchestra in the C major concerto. The second isn't much better. Although Ashkenazy gives a much better reading, Solti again feels that the CSO must play as forcefully as possible. The concerto is rather bland in the first place and Ashkenazy's approach is nothing special. The third concerto is wonderfully played by both Ashkenazy and the CSO. Ashkenazy treatment of the piano line is more classical while Solti's boisterous approach actually works in this powerful work. However, poor recording conditions (the evident hiss in the background) ruin the largo. The G major concerto is the most interesting in the set. Solti's treatment of the orchestra accompaniment is quite inspired - this is Solti at his most tender. However, Ashkenazy's icy interpretation is detached, it seems as if he and Solti are on two entirely different pages. Although the recording is remarkable in its beauty, Ashkenazy's lack of warmth leaves a chilling cloud over the performance. The fifth is nothing special. Solti is back to being loud and Ashkenazy gives a good, routine performance.

All in all, even at a budget price, this set is not highly recommended.

I agree with the other reviewer who stated the slow movement of the Fourth Piano Concerto is well worth the price of the whole set. In fact, the last note of the slow movement of the Fourth is worth the price of the set! The Chicago Symphony Orchestra brings a wonderfully full sound that brings out the very best in Beethoven. Ashkenazy does great justice to these concertos.

Yep, we have super-conductor Georg Solti with his powerful Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and soloist Vladimir Ashkenazy, all teaming up to bring out a well orchestrated set of Beethoven's piano concertos. With crisp London/Decca sound, you can have the volume on your stereo at full blast and experience nothing but the clear powerful sound of Ashkenazy's innocent piano and Solti's devilish Chicago Symphony Orchestra pumping out great bursts of beautiful Beethoven sound. The star of the set here is Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, op. 73 "Emperor." Most considerably to be the finest account of Beethoven's concertos. With it's fine translation of royal beauty, struggle, and heroics. Experience it for yourelf at the bargain of a price!

WIth several versions of Beethoven concertos out there, one might find it difficult to find the best one. To explain how great this 3 CD set is, I will refer to the Emperor concerto--I have listened to few different plyings of this concerto (including Horowitz and Brendel, other ones from the radio etc), but I must say that the one by Ashkenazy is the most beautiful. Ashkenazy's playing is unequalled, and while some other players tend to go too fast on some parts and thereby kill its delicate beauty, Ashkenazy's playing is sensational from start to end and will have you playing the CDs over and over. Personally, I haven't seen a better Beethoven player than Ashkenazy, and one critic has said about his playing: "whatever Ashkenazy plays, he plays well...Ashkenazy does not interpret music, he breaths it." Get this fabulous set of Beethoven concertos; there is no competition when it comes to Ashkenazy's playing.

N4 the best by far. None of the rewewers quite catched it. It is the transmission of feelings: After the unexpected, irrational outcry of the orchestra, menacing, forceful and pitiless, the piano is "really" horrified, frightened, almost speachless. These are the feelings to be transmitted.Only Ashkenazy has ever did this so well. Worth the whole set.

As an admirer of both pianist and conductor, I purchased this inexpensive set with high hopes. Ashkenazy's passionately involving cycle of Beethoven sonatas and Solti's heaven-storming cycle of Beethoven symphonies would seem to augur well for their collaboration in the piano concertos. Alas, this was not the success that it might well have been.

The main problem is the recording, which places the orchestra on top of the listener while the pianist is relegated to a somewhat pallid sonic space seemingly removed from the ensemble. Moreover, the tone of Ashkenazy's instrument, as captured by the microphones, is at times distinctly sour: this is not the robust sonority one encounters from this pianist in the concert hall or in his solo Beethoven recordings. For comparison's sake I auditioned the original LPs, and found that the balance, though still unduly favoring the orchestra, was more natural. One wonders what went wrong in the remastering process. Was someone asleep at the controls?

As for the interpretations, they are not quite what one might have expected either. Solti is predictably volatile, if overemphatic at times, while Ashkenazy seems intent on adopting a "Byronic" stance throughout--hearing or overhearing the music as from the midst of a poet's reverie--so that Beethoven comes out sounding too much like Chopin (in slow movements) or Schumann (in fast movements). This juxtaposition of temperaments does not, on the whole convince--except in the slow movement of the Fourth Concerto, where--predictably-- Ashkenazy's dreamy Orpheus is effectively played off against Solti's furious furies. The "Emperor" has its effective moments, too--thanks to Solti's unbuttoned vigor and Ashkenazy's poised, unrhetorical playing. But there are greater "Emperors" in the catalog (try Solomon/Menges or Fleischer/Szell for starters) as well as many better-recorded fourths with equally effective dialogic contrasts in the slow movement (try Barenboim-Klemperer or Kempff-van Kempen). As for the first three concertos, better integrated interpretations abound (try Fleischer-Szell for no. 1, Kapell-Golschmann for no. 2, and Haskil-Markevitch for no. 3--among a host of others).

So, regrettably, and with due respect to two artists (and an orchestra) whose work I have often enjoyed, I must give this set a "thumbs-down." You can do much better-- both sonically and interpretively--in this price range. Recommended sets: Fleischer-Szell, Kempff-van Kempen, Katchen-Gamba, Barenboim-Klemperer, Solomon-Menges/Cluytens, Arrau-Davis, Perahia-Haitink.

This CD set is a digital re-mastering of the original "Stereophonic" London recordings from 1973. The sound is crisp and clear, and enhances the masterful technique of Vladimir Ashkenazy and Sir Georg Solti's well-paced leadership. You would never know you were listening to an ADD rather than a direct digital recording. The dynamic range of this digital re-mastering is far superior to the original LPs... the pianissimos are very soft and vibrant, and the fortes take your breath away. The recording engineers obviously took great pains to 'lift' the sound of the piano up a notch or two above the orchestra, and I was greatly pleased to discover that I could now hear much more of the solo instrument than I could on the original LPs. Although Ashkenazy's technique is not as free and dynamic as Bernstein's, he is very accurate, and hits every note in perfect sync with the orchestra. Solti was at the peak of his career here, and the Chicago symphony plays wonderfully in compliment to Ashkenazy. At $14.97 for three disks, and several bonus tracks (including Fur Elise) which were not part of the original LP boxed set,this recording is a great buy. Highly recommended!