Schumann/Grieg: Klavierkonzerte (Piano Concertos)
from: Deutsche Grammophon
Your Price: $16.98
Prices subject to change.Average Rating: 
Sales Rank: 72348
Sales Rank: 72348
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Music : Schumann/Grieg: Klavierkonzerte (Piano Concertos) |
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Rating:  - * Powerful! ... This recording truly encompasses dynamic range to the extreme. Here we are presented with 4 astonishing elements: one of the greatest conductors to ever lift a baton; one of the greatest pianists to grace a keyboard (and at quite a young age, too); a famed orchestra that has been one of the world's leading orchestras for over 100 years; and a wonderful instrument on which these masterpieces are skillfully played. The pianissimos are graceful and articulate while the fortissimos are grand and full. The technique of Zimerman is flawless and pairs well with his masterful musicianship and expression. Karajan brings soloist and orchestra together in a perfect combination of elements to create a well-rounded recording of two of the supreme concerti for piano in the keyboard repertoire. This is definitely a must for fans of the Grieg Concerto, so don't hesitate in purchasing this recording! Rating: - * Great Music, Great Performances ... The Schumann and Grieg are frequently paired on recordings and for good reason. They kind of book-end the great era of romantic piano concerti. Both are in A minor and the Grieg mirrors in every respect the Schumann in terms of structure and thematic development. Zimerman again (as in the Ravel concerti) is astounding in his ability find new rhythmic accents which lend unexpected freshness that are exciting but still respect the composer's intentions. I have never heard the 1st movement cadenza in the Grieg played with more passion and thunder and the same holds true for the Schumann. Von Karajan surprises too with uncharacteristic vitality in all the tempi, even if he does hold the final orchestra tuttis almost to the breaking point. All in all, a thrilling recording proving again what a stunning virtuoso Zimerman is. Don't pass this up--a must for any collector of the romantic piano concerto. They will sound brand new to you, no matter how many recordings you already have of these timeless masterpieces. Rating: - * Excellent performances by a great pianist. ... Krystian Zimerman is one of the greatest pianist of the modern era. His technique is excellent, but it is the superb artistry of his performances which makes him one of the half dozen or so greatest pianists currently performing. Furthermore, Zimerman is guite selective in what he performs and records. He limits his repertoire to music which he personally likes and with which he feels empathy, rather than recording whatever the public wants to buy. I do not mean to disparage Zimerman's performance of the Schumann concerto when I say that his performance of the Grieg concerto is one of the finest ever recorded by anyone. The Grieg concerto is one of the greatest piano concertos ever written, and the performance on this CD is one of the few which fully does it justice. If you like piano music and do not yet know this outstanding artist, this CD would be a very good place to make his acquaintance. Rating:  - * Elegance in the first place ... Both concertos are played somehow slowly compared to what is usual. These are performances in which elegance counts more than excitement. If you don't like such well-mannered playing, please remove more stars. The Grieg concerto suffers that way; it is very much pomp here, even with a considerable stress and agitation at chosen moments. The feeling is very much of sitting in a concerto hall among a lot of well-dressed people. Production values are high and Karajan knows very much about sound, this is however not enough to save me from boredom. But this is not so much about the Grieg concerto. It is more about the Schumann concerto. Schumann was an uneven composer, who made many works that wouldn't be solid enough if they missed the stamp of Schumann, however is this concerto one of his few masterpieces, one of the most solid piano concertos made in the 19th century. It is a more introvert work, which I can take in many different performances. The slowness here doesn't feel slow to me, but somehow less meaningful than by the Pires/Abbado performance, which is even slower in the outer movements, but more meaningful. This Zimmerman/Karajan is very elegant, and mysteriously warm. Although it wouldn't be my first choice, I wouldn't like to miss it either, as I return to it now and then. A rougher and more exciting and concentrated recordning of both concertos is the Ormandy/Entremont/Serkin. This is perhaps the best Grieg and a very good Schumann, too. The sound is not state-of-the-art, anyway good enough to me. The Michelangeli/Fruebeck de Borgos (Grieg) has too bad sound in my opinion. Very special is the Vogt/Rattle, both concertos, a very expressive, almost dark Schumann and a brisk and easy Grieg. The Pires/Abbado (Schumann) is a very consciously played, something pure, clean, rounder and less dark than the others, indispensable. That would be my first choice, if I had one. Rating: - * robert schumann grieg concertos ... price was right yet the shipping took over two weeks |
