Brahms: Two Rhapsodies, Op. 79; Piano Pieces, Opp. 117-119

Johannes Brahms (Composer), Radu Lupu (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Radu Lupu
• Composer: Johannes Brahms
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• SPARS Code: A-D
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Decca
• ASIN: B0000041SC
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #27,652 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for any music lover. , February 8, 2005

By	Joseph (VA, USA) - See all my reviews

Lupu's playing instantly strikes you as unassuming and purely musical. There is no virtuosity for its own sake, rather one detects a profound sensitivity (heard in the pianists incredible pianissimo and phrasing) and respect for the music.
So many of the Brahms Intermezzi, especially from Opus. 117, require voicing (bringing out one note in a chord above the others), and Lupu is nothing short of amazing in the way he brings out melodies and gives the music a deserving sense of depth and texture.
I highly recomend this cd. Overall, Lupu's playing does full justice to Brahms' complex music. It is nuanced, sensitive, and extremely profound. I confess I have a bias towards people like Lupu. While I like the showy pianists as well, they are often ill suited to play composers like Brahms. But Lupu seems perfectly at home with him and all the unique difficulties his music contains.
A little imperfection in sound quality is nothing compared to the quality of the music you will get on this cd.
Some have called Lupu a poet, or even an holy man of the piano, and I must agree with them. If you hear this cd, you probably will too. This cd is a must if you love music.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Performance sings, sound varies, September 6, 2002

By	Todd R. Peckarsky "tpeck55" (Reston, VA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Just to clarify on the issue of sound quality discussed by previous reviewers: the performances on this disk were recorded made in two separate sessions. Recorded in the first session (1970) were the op.79 no.1 Rhapsody and the three op.117 Intermezzi. These four works constitute 27 minutes of the total 71 minute playing time of this disk. While the sound on these four tracks is rather poor, that of the remaining performances on the disk (recorded at a separate 1976 session) is quite passable, certainly better than on the 1970 tracks.

Lupu's performance is singing with beautiful legato, and makes you want to listen and concentrate. Eventually you can get past the poor sound of four of the tracks. I really enjoy the performance of the op.79 no.1 Rhapsody, despite the deficient sound.

One further note re. sonics on Mr. Lupu's recordings. The sound on his 1982 recording of the Schubert Impromptus is similarly not great but passable, just like that on the majority of this disk.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very warm, and full of feeling, August 24, 1999

By A Customer

I first heard the LP of this recording in UC Berkeley's music library. Since that day I have been enamored with Radu Lupu's wonderfully fluid interpretation of Brahms' music. The recorded sound is relatively muted on the high end; however, it is extremely warm and pleasing to the ear. Tis a shame that at this time Amazon only offers two Radu Lupu CDs...