Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: First Piano Concertos

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Fans of Lang Lang will undoubtedly be pleased with this CD, his Deutsche Grammophon debut recording. But others should be intrigued too, since it is an excellent demonstration of his dramatic, often intense, keyboard pyrotechnics and subtle, lyrical playing. In Lang Lang's hands, both concerti are given splendid performances which should be regarded as first rank (though I have a stronger preference for Thibaudet's rhapsodic playing of the Mendelssohn concerto in his recent Decca recording.). His performance of the 1st Tchaikovsky piano concerto is especially noteworthy, since it is replete with keyboard pyrotechnics and subtle, lyrical playing, especially in the second movement. In both works he is well supported by Daniel Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, who are sympathetic accompanists to Lang's playing. Deutsche Grammophon's sound engineers have done a fine job creating a well balanced recording. Again, while this is not my primary recommendation for either concerti, this CD is still worth acquiring for Lang Lang's superb, often spellbinding, playing.

I regret that there is so much controversy over Lang Lang's performances. I for one am glad that various artists present their personal interpretations of various works. If every performer played exactly the same way and rigidly followed every note, marking, and tempo of each written score with no personal expression I would find musical performances not only boring but also, in many cases, unsatisfying. For example, I prefer some pieces of music played more slowly and lyrically than written while I prefer more robust interpretations of other music. Variety of interpretation allows me and other listeners to find one or more performances of a given piece of music which satisfy our individual tastes even though others may find the same performances unsatisfactory or even objectionable. Lang Lang is a very talented pianist with a unigue perspective which often results in alternative interpretations of classical standards. I enjoy hearing Lang Lang's interpretations, and find them interesting, even though they may not be my favorite ones. I cannot say whether you will or will not like this CD -- that depends upon your personal taste -- but you will find the performances competently played and not boring.

Four stars for the Tchaikovsky, two stars for the Mendelssohn, three overall.

The problem with a work that already has so many outstanding versions available is that everybody already has a favorite version or two and invariably they compare new performances against these. The challenge is to record a version that justifies adding yet another Tchaikovsky first to the catalog while staying true to the work. Lang and Barenboim have succeeded with a very beautiful reading of the Tchaikovsky. Mr. Lang's obvious technical proficiency is fully in service of the music itself both in the thunderous opening theme and in the quieter passages.

Alas, the same can not be said of the Mendelssohn. Although not as popular as the Tchaikovsky first, this is still a major work and can not be considered as mere filler. The playing of the Chicago ensemble is particularly uninspired on this work which comes as a letdown after a spirited performance of the Tchaikovsky. The CD overall can therefore not be considered a success. However, those who already own a satisfying version of the Mendelssohn first should not be disappointed if they purchase this disc just for the Tchaikovsky.

One doesn't have to look to far to realize how extremely controversial Lang Lang is. You read in the newspapers critics that claim he will disappear as soon as the next popular artist appears, and others who claim he will be the next Horowitz, that he is the next Horowitz. I think him an amazing artist, and not only from the technical aspect.

I saw a video clip of him performing Tchaikovsky's 1st as a 13-year-old at the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Tokyo. I felt that the performance was much too slow in feeling and tempo and that it was not a spectacular interpretation overall. This CD left me with somewhat of a similar feeling, although not as strongly. I think that Lang Lang is an artist you *must* see live to fully understand his interpretations and playing style. Living barely 30 minutes away from Manhattan, I have attended numerous concerts by various artists and Lang Lang is undeniably the most entertaining. He knows how to extend his love of music to the audience (of course, showy pieces do help) and appeals much better than most other artists.

This CD is not the best of Lang Lang's work, but it is an interesting CD all the less. Even for people who are tired of hearing Tchaikovsky's 1st, it is a good CD nonetheless.

It is ashamed that a conductor with a steadier sense of rhythm was not chosen for the Tchaikovsky. The melodic line frequently deflates due to constant (not so subtle) changes that do not seem to have a songful, expressive purpose. Just as Joan Sutherland was at her droopiest when conducted by Richard Bonynge (and conversely at her best with other conductors who were not so indulgent), Lang needs someone to help keep the music on track.
The Mendelssohn seems better because each movement (whether or not played faster or slower than normal), seems to be all of a piece, held together with a somewhat clearer sense of line. The sound of the piano backed by the orchestra is also better balanced in the Mendelssohn.

On the tombstone of Edgar Alan Poe is written "There is no exquisite beauty without strangeness in dimension". The importance of novelty, some thing that demands a willingness to take risks, can never be over-emphasized in artistic endeavours.
I for one don't think Lang Lang is oblivious to the criticisms he is facing. Perhaps the best reaction an artist can make in the wake of such is `to be himself'. True that he fails to impress the `purists'. Given his unique musical upbringing (in a family that pursued traditional Chinese music as career, and with very little formal Western training before he goes to Philadephia), there is forever evident in Lang Lang's pianism the traces of Chinese musical influence.
Take the Tchaikovsky No. 1 Concerto's second movement. The slow section begins with a wonderful woodwind section, taken up soon by the piano. The style deployed by Lang Lang transforms the entire movement to a rare lyrical experience, one that could only be found in traditional Chinese music. He does not `copy and paste' forerunners' interpretation, but comes up with his own musical experience. Such synthesizing is of course novel, but conventionalists and purists may have much more to criticise Lang's approach as being `boring', `flat', or what not. To what degree the truth stated in Poe's eulogy applies to Lang remains a matter of controversy these years.
A conventional view of these two concerti would of course be most willing to point out the third movement of the Tchaikovsky First Concerto, as well as the first movement of the Mendelssohn First Concerto, as being `under-powered' by excessive rubato tempi, and excessive freedom in dynamics. There is another `strangeness' linked with the conductor Daniel Barenboim in these. It is evident that in this particular recording he and Lang Lang are much in sync. Barenboim, it would never be forgotten, is the conductor for Jacqueline du Pre's Haydn cello concerti. These recordings, strictly taken, aren't conventional readings that would meet with the purists' ears. Even so, those have become a `classic' in their own right over the years.
Lang may take a long time to establish his own acceptance by classical purists. It is fortunate that he is only 25.

I personally own many recordings of the Tchaikovsky 1st concerto, and I am very familar with the work, having studied it intensively. I rank this recording along with my Pletnev/Fedoseyev rendition as my least favorites. Ironically both recordings, I believe, fail to capture the Russian spirit, fire, and passion, which this work must be played with. Lang Lang's eccentric phrasing throughout make him sound unnatural, uneven, and very immature. I would guess he is trying to be different in a work that is and has been recorded as much as the Tchaikovsky is. But I believe there are far better approaches to this masterpiece.
The Mendelssohn is suited a little better to his temperament. I am not familiar with this work as much as the Tchaikovsky, but again this is far from being my favorite recording of the work. He lacks the intensity and passion that the Serkin/Ormandy recording gives us. If you are considering purchasing this recording I wouldn't recommend it to anyone that is new to these works. I would recommend these recordings:
for the Tchaikovsky,
Cliburn/Kondrashin
Gilels/Reiner
Horowitz/Toscanini
Rubinstein/Leinsdorf
If you want a modern recording I prefer the new Volodos/Ozawa recording far more.

for the Mendelssohn,
Serkin/Ormandy

I would like to add that the CSO and Barenboim do an EXCELLENT job here! If you are looking for a recording with excellent orchestral playing and sound, this is highly recommended, not as much for pianistic interpretation

To be honest, I am not a fan of most of Lang Lang's music making, which I generally find overwrought and cute at the expense of musicality. However I feel the negative criticism of his Mendelssohn interpretation here is unfair. While many other performances of Mendelssohn's piano concerti seem to be attempts to beat the piece and instrument into submission, or a race to see who can play the pieces the quickest, Lang Lang plays with sensitivity to the composer's lyrical nature.

His phrasing is highly structured, carefully sculpted and not simply blasted out. To me the result is a much more musical approach than other, more bombastic readings more commonly found. In short, he plays the Mendelssohn a bit more like a brash Mozart than a monochromatic version of Liszt, and I find this pleasing and appropriate. I wish it were not an unusual approach. In this regard, Lang Lang's interpretation of the Mendelssohn is somewhat like Howard Shelley's.

The performance of the Tchaikovsky is competent by both orchestra and soloist. It's a meaningful addition to the recordings and well done, if not a personal favorite. Again, a lyrical line is taken in the more overtly Romantic Tchaikovsky, and this is an appropriate, interesting and valid interpretation.

I think this is a great rendition by both the soloist and the orchestra of these pieces. The CD quality in terms of fidelity is great, too.

Lang Lang is a dazzling artist whose ebullience can be overwhelming to some, but I applaud the fact that he gives all of himself to his music. He is taking a big risk in so doing, but that is the only way that one can make absolutely great music on a continuous basis.

It is interesting that there are generally only extreme reactions to Lang Lang here and elsewhere -- most people adore him, but there are some who absolutely loathe the pianist. Putting aside the racism factor -- which is, sadly, very much alive and well in the 21st century - - for whatever it is worth, I think that such zealotic opinions are a good sign -- for Lang Lang. After all, art is here to inspire us, for better or for worse. When a pianist can elicit such passionate (read: extreme) and diverse reactions to his musical interpretations, there is something to be said for his art.

It should not be lost on us all that Lang Lang won the gold medal in the young peoples' section of the most prestigious international piano competition in the world -- the Tchaikovsky International Competition. If those Russian diehards gave Lang Lang the nod.....there really is little left to say in that regard, no?

Another example of the new-controversial-superstar-bashing tradition is to be found in the story of the [former] Russian prodigy Evgeny Kissin (who is about a decade senior to Lang Lang), another pianist who inspires thunderous acclaim for the most part but toward whom there is a vocal minority of nay-sayers who just cannot stomach his intellectual approach to musical interpretation. That is OK. We need a few teapot tempests to stir our complacent (read: non-thinking) classical audiences out of their malaise.

But back to Lang Lang. I have listened to his Tchaikovsky recording many times and noted arresting nuances in the recording that I found refreshing, titillating and downright colorful. More significantly, listening to the recording causes me chills and tremors that are completely out of my control. Bottom line -- his reading sends me into a state of exuberance that rarely occurs, but which I have experienced when listening to or viewing live artists such as violinists Kyung Wha Chung (ever heard her Tchaikovsky Concerto??!!) and Nathan Milstein (get a load of his Bach!), sopranos Leontyne Price, Anna Moffo, and pianists Richter, Rubinstein, and even Lazar Berman. I cannot help the fact of my reactions-- all I can do is share with you that I have remarkable reactions to the reading. If it happens to me, then it may certainly happen to you. And that is a good thing, no?

I have also seen live Lang Lang perform the Tchaikovsky #1 with the Chicago Symphony under Maestro Barenboim where I noted the same nuances -- with a particularly polished brass section that brilliantly evinced a regality and delicateness that is virtually unprecedented in my experience. Of note is that Lang/Barenboim take their time with the piece. They are running at about 23 minutes for the first movement, for example -- which is not a triviality. That is a 10-20% slower rate of play than some of the great established pianists ( i.e., Argerich, Watts, Van Cliburn, etc., who wrap it up in as little as 19 minutes!), but very much in tempo with a handful of other absolutely wonderful artists such as Madamoiselle Victoria Postnikova (i.e., Mrs. Rostropovich) or the 1986 winner of the Eighth International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition -- Barry Douglas, who clocks in at 22'10". This reduced tempo, which is NOT necessarily too slow, enables Lang and Barenboim to elicit colors and underscore fine details of very complex passages that are all but lost when pianists rush through the piece as if they were in the Indy 500. Bottom line: I hear goodies via Lang Lang that have eluded me oft times in other recordings and performances, and I don't have to strain to taste them here.

I recommend Lang Lang's recording without qualifications. His genius (together with Barenboim's) is there in living color for you to admire or to scorn; regardless of the anti- Lang Lang contingent's sentiments, I believe that he, Kissin, along with a few other young stars (Pratt, Anderszewski, et al) will dominate the field for the first half of this century. If you love Lang Lang, get on the wagon now -- it's going to be one hell of ride. If you loathe Lang Lang, perhaps he'll grow on you -- as many greats tend to do (e.g., Horowitz had to grow on me, and it took a very long while). If Lang Lang doesn't grow on you, all I can say is that I am sorry that you will be missing a sublime experience.