Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Piano Concerto in D Major, Op. 61a

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Bela Drahos (Conductor), Budapest Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia (Orchestra), Jenö Jandó (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Jenö Jandó
• Orchestra: Budapest Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia
• Conductor: Bela Drahos
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
• Audio CD (October 27, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B00000DH4T
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,776 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible pianist, December 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Piano Concerto in D Major, Op. 61a (Audio CD)

This pianist is apparently the "in-house" keyboardist for the Esterhazy Sinfonia and is pretty much unknown in the states. He has got fantastic fingers. The phrasing in the violin (piano version) concerto is totally precise. A real bargain.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-Done Triple and Piano Transcription of Op. 61, April 7, 2007

By 

JohnL "jomin44" (Alexander, NC United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Piano Concerto in D Major, Op. 61a (Audio CD)

"True to form, Naxos have come up trumps with an imaginative and useful coupling." So starts a very good review from Gramophone Magazine, arguably the most respected reviewer of classical CDs. Not only are we presented here with a nice recording of Beethoven's not-heard-nearly-enough Triple Concerto, Op. 56, composed shortly before his masterful Fourth Piano Concerto, but also a fine version of the Violin Concerto, transcribed for piano by Beethoven himself in 1807 at the request of the London pianist, composer, and piano-manufacturer Muzio Clementi. I must admit, it is quite interesting to hear the well-known Op. 61 played instead on the keyboard, nicely performed by Naxos work-horse Jeno Jando, who plays admirably with plenty of panache. His contribution on the Triple Concerto is also good. Of course, the score of the Triple is understandably nowhere near as demanding in the piano part, as it seems it was to be played by the Archduke Rudolph, son of Emperor Leopold II. However, both the violin and cello leads are more taxing. These are performed extremely well by Dong-Suk Kang (violin), and Maria Kliegel (cello), the latter receiving many a fine review for her multiple recordings on Naxos, particularly of the Schumann Cello Concerto, coupled with the Brahms Double (Naxos 8.550938). Gramophone states that "though not a 'great' recording of the Triple, it is never less than good and the sound is unlikely to disappoint." The respected Penguin Guide gave this CD a 3-star review, which they judged as "an outstanding performance and recording in every way". Lastly, BBC Music Magazine awarded this release their Critic's Choice Award in 1998 and a 5-star rating (the highest). In their review it states that the "Triple Concerto is scintillating, the solists brilliant and subtle, as the music dictates". So, three positive reviews from the most respected of sources. Plus, to two more ears, this recording to me is most enjoyable and highly recommended. And at this price, it is a real bargain.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Quite a different experience hearing the violin concerto in D major as a piano concerto!, September 5, 2009

By 

Norm De Plume (Lake Forest, Illinois USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beethoven: Triple Concerto, Op. 56 / Piano Concerto In D Major, Op. 61a (MP3 Download)

The Beethoven Violin Concerto is my favorite classical piece. I like it so well, that I bought sheet music for the transcription to piano and have been working on larning to play it. It's slow going, thanks for asking, Jeno Jando I'm not...

I sought a recording of a piano version of the concerto to see just how I stack up (uh, not quite so well as it turns out, but again thank you for asking...) and found this CD. This wasn't exactly what I was looking for, which was a piano solo version of the piece, and at first thought I received yet another violin concerto by mistake, since the piano doesn't chime in for several minutes and the first movement opens exactly as the vionin concerto. Still, it was quite an experience hearing the piano concerto for the first time. Having 4 CD's of the violin concerto, my frame of reference is decidedly one sided. The piano concerto was a refreshing surprise. If you've never heard this before (highly likely given that few recordings available), give it a listen.

I have several other recordings featuring Jeno Jando on piano and he's an excellent performer. I highly recommend this CD.

Peter