Customer Reviews

Ravel: The Piano Concertos; Valses nobles et sentimentales

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This disc was awarded the Concerto award in this year's Gramophone Awards. It's not so hard to hear why. This is an outstanding collaboration between Boulez, Zimerman, and the London and Cleveland orchestras. Boulez's clarity helps, as always, as the outer sections of the Left Hand Concerto demonstrate. Zimerman's fiery realization of the solo parts of both concerti is amazing -- the finale of the G major is almost dizzying in its liveliness, and the big cadenza in the end of the Left Hand Concerto is played in the grand manner (without shallow grandiosity). The slow movement of the G major is atmospheric, and Boulez, as expected, heightens the effect of Ravel's colours. This is a great disc, outclassing the competition for the Ravel concerti. For once, the Hype is Right.

This is one of the finest collaborations I've heard with a soloist, conductor and two orchestras of the first rank. Zimerman sparkles in both concerti, giving fiery, lively performances that are emotionally and technically dazzling. His dramatic, lyrical playing of the Concerto for Left Hand in D Major is worth the price of the CD alone. Yet it is shared with a commanding performance of Ravel's Concerto in G Major. Boulez is an ideal accompanist, revealing the rich emotional depth of Ravel's scores with clinical precision, without intruding on Zimerman's spellbinding playing. Under Boulez's brisk direction, both the Cleveland and London Symphony orchestras give warm, vibrant performances. Of course Deutsche Grammophon's sound quality is exceptional. Those looking for a definitive collection of Ravel's piano concerti won't be disappointed.

I have to admit that I came to this disk with some lack of enthusiasm. First, Boulez can seem a bit to controlled and cold for my tastes at times (but lately he is changing my mind!) and though Zimmerman is a magnificent pianist, the G major concerto and the Concerto for the Left Hand is not often really played well. I was after the orchestrations of the Valses nobles et sentimentales.

Well, the performance of the G major concerto won me over enough to listen a few more times. I have to admit that I have become hooked on it and have come to understand why this is such a favorite. It really is a wonderful composition.

The pieces I was after - the Valeses nobles et sentimentales - are exquisite and played here with utter beauty. A joy to listen to over and over again. Even if I still REALLY love the version for solo piano (being a prejudiced pianist).

The complete stunner on this disk is the Concerto for the Left Hand. It is almost unbelievable how well this is played. Even with the score right in front of you as you follow along you can't believe this is actually being pulled off so cleanly and with such a thoroughgoing conception. I can't help imagining cheers and waves of applause every time I hear this performance. This disk is another treasure in my collection.

I have adored the 2 Ravel Piano Concerti since high school and I have heard every existing recording of these masterpieces. Nothing compares to the interepretations of Zimmerman, especially in the Left Hand Concerto. The opening solo cadenza is truly breathtaking and accomplishes what Ravel intended--that the absence of the right hand would not diminish in the least, the virtuosity of the piano part. Zimmerman has an uncanny ability to bring rhythmic flexibility and freshness in every measure and the concluding cadenza has never been played with such power and moving commitment to Ravel's score. I adore Alicia de Larrocha's recording but Zimmerman easily takes the first prize. Pierre Boulez' conducting is always impassioned and thrilling. A must for any lover or Ravel and the piano.

The detailing in this performance is terrific; Boulez has the orchestra wonderfully in balance and the recording is transparent. The disc immediately became one of my favorites.

There are some collaborations that are miraculous, where soloist, conductor and orchestra see as one with the score, where everyone seems to arrive at the same point spontaneously and, seemingly, effortlessly, and the music transcends the written score.

Unfortunately, this isn't one of those recordings.

I'd hoped it would be. We have Krystian Zimerman, one of the greatest pianists alive. We have Pierre Boulez, a man who's had half a century to think about these great works. We have the Cleveland Orchestra, one of the greatest orchestras and one Boulez performs with often.

Yet I feel everyone here is just trying too much. They hit this music too hard, with exaggerated crescendoes and tempi fluctuations, and mannerisms that to me seem out of place for such direct music that should sound almost improvised. The "jazziness" (and jazz was a model for Ravel's concerti) is gone. Dynamics range from VERY LOUD to barely audible. Again, though impressive, I feel it's a little too much--this isn't Mahler. It's all immaculately played and beautifully recorded, with lots of inner detail, but I think we expect that from this crew. The problem is, I don't get any new insights into the music. And the Waltzes are "limpy," or wooden-legged. I get the impression Boulez never waltzed in his life.

For the Waltzes I recommend, if you can find it, Eduardo Mata and the Dallas Symphony on a budget RCA recording that also has a superb La Valse and Moussorgsky "Pictures." For the D minor concerto, my favorite is the effortless and flowing Fleisher/Comissiona with the Baltimore Symphony. For the concerto that employs all ten digits, I'll be not-terribly-original and opt for the famous Michelangeli/Gracis/Philharmonia recording that many critics consider one of the greatest piano recordings ever.

Ravel's Piano Concerto in G was the work that convinced me to start taking a serious interest in jazz. I don't know whether it has had anything like the same effect on the tonally ascetic Pierre Boulez, but we should all be genuinely grateful for his masterful guidance of the Cleveland Orchestra on this wonderful recording. Rich and detailed, the orchestral sound ideally complements the striking sensitivity of Krystian Zimerman's performance. (Boulez feels this work in his bones, a fact which leaves you sensing that he is suppressing an unexpected dimension to his musical personality in some of the more ideological postures he strikes on twentieth century music.)

As ever, the approach of the soloist is critical. Zimerman makes his initial allegro attack with aplomb, and he pulls off the concluding, dynamic presto with equal attitude. But is in the heart-wrenching adagio, around which the whole work revolves, that he is at his strongest. While not technically exhausting, this is a difficult movement to perform to its full potential. But Zimerman's timing, leaning off the elusive beat to exactly the right degree, is magnificent.

The eight Valses are a charming distraction (no disparagement intended) upon which the Cleveland is able to shimmer and shine. They clean the palette for the dark, pounding feast that is the Concerto for Left Hand.

This is not my favourite recording of the Left Hand Concerto, but it comes pretty close. What it lacks in menace it makes up for in exquisite detail and panoramic scope. And quibbles aside, this surely amounts to a definitive recording of these three great works.

This is some impeccable playing. Mr. Zimerman's performance is outstanding. I have just recently become familiar with his recordings, and I find the Ravel concertos among the best I've heard from him so far. I must also comment on the quality of the recording, which deserves an honorable mention for its excellence. Overall, this recording is a winner in my book.

A breathtaking performance by probably one of the greatest pianists alive today. The piano concerto for the left hand is a dazzling performance, heroic, while keeping all the nuances. The orchestra fits well with Zimermans performance. Would recommend it very much! Can't wait myself to hear the new release of Zimermans' Chopin concertos

Krystian Zimerman is one the very few truly exceptional geniuses that can make the piano sing. His colors and tones are of a breathtaking aesthetic beauty as only a Rubinstein or Horowitz were able to produce... French composers appear most suited for him, just look at his Preludes from Debussy. If you love piano, by all means get this CD.