Brahms: Concertos for Piano No. 1 & 2, Fantasia Op. 116 | Johannes Brahms, Eugen Jochum, ... |...

Brahms: Concertos for Piano No. 1 & 2, Fantasia Op. 116 | Johannes Brahms, Eugen Jochum, ... | Excellent CD, new, arrived in perfect condition

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	Brahms: Concertos for Piano No. 1 & 2, Fantasia Op. 116 Johannes Brahms, Eugen Jochum, ... Deutsche Grammophon, 1996 average customer review:based on 36 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

These performances mount the only serious competition as a complete set to the Leon Fleisher/George Szell versions on Sony Classical. Emil Gilels was an extraordinary virtuoso who decided to place his technical wizardry in the service of the most disciplined and demanding classical masterpieces. No piano concertos live up to this description more than the two by Brahms. Himself a pianist, Brahms placed every purely musical stumbling block that he could in front of the soloist--only audiences never notice because there's no gratuitous display at all. A performer who has not mastered these pieces doesn't necessarily miss notes; he or she just bores everyone to tears. Well, Gilels is never dull, and neither is Eugen Jochum, whose spontaneous-sounding yet sensitive accompaniments support his soloist every step of the way. --David Hurwitz

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Playing is superb; the 2nd Concerto makes this a 'must buy' set

I own the Curzon, Gilels, Katchen, and Kovacevich for the 1st Concerto. Katchen was my first and remains my one true love for this concerto, with Monteux providing the perfect backdrop. The Gilels falls to second place due to the slowness of the first two movements, which to my sensibilities detract from the artistic merit. The Katchen piano sound is bigger and the performance is closely mic'd, both of which add to my enjoyment. IMO, Curzon ruins the masterful Szell interpretation of this concerto with his incessant audible humming. Szell pulls off the perfect dramatic opening, so if you are more tolerant of humming pianists than I am, it is also worth owning. The Kovacevich is sweet and romantic, but the distant audience perspective of the recording, coupled with Sawallisch's over sweet interpretation (e.g. violin vibrato) place it fourth in this group in my esteem.

For the 2nd Concerto, I have additionally Gilels/Reiner, Katchen, and Peter Serkin performances. I recommend most highly this Gilels/Jochum performance from my small group. IMO, the 2nd Concerto is the main reason for owning this set, and it is one of the finest recordings I own. My first love for this concerto was Gilels/Reiner, but I now find that performance too brisk, dry, and analytic in conception, the sound quality does not compare well, and Gilels' phrasing is sometimes choppier than the fluid performance he gives with Jochum. I was prepared not to like Jochum, the great Brucknerian, handling my Brahms, but it seems Brahms is in very good hands here. Again tempi are on the slow side, but I never have the urge to get out and push. I like expansive readings of Brahms' orchestral works if the pacing seems well-conceived, as it does here. The Katchen and Serkin performances are fine, but in light of the quality of this performance, nothing else need be said. Get this one.

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Excellent CD, new, arrived in perfect condition

Beautiful recordings of Brahms's Piano Concertos, excellent tempo, marvellous interpretation of both conductor and pianist. Item arrived quickly, just as described, and in perfect condition. I would certainly recommed seller!

Brahms

I have no recollection of any purchase of an Ottomar Borwitsky recording. I did order and get an Emil Gilels recording of the same three items. The whole is just wonderful and a most welcome addition to my library

Very fine but falls short of greatness

These concertos are monumental in all respects; power, elegance, vibrancy, complexity, angst, exaltation, heroic--more adjectives please. Its not the type of music one would want to relax to though; I reserve these concertos for when I want to be blown away by music. Not in the sense of treating the music as fireworks but to be shook at the very foundation of my being. Given Brahms' special way of fermenting struggle I believe that is the way he would have wanted it.

As for the interpretations I am forced to feel that Jochum but especially Gilels deliver us the music deliberately; the music feels willed into existence as if the performance were obligatory. I don't think a ponderous drudge is achieved but I do agree with another reviewer that it is risked--this is almost Brahms on the margin. Jochum delivers a stately kapellmeister reading for both concertos. This is certainly not a bad thing but the path he takes is well worn. Here Gilels is a shadow compared to his earlier vehement self. That Gilels can be found in a 1950's performance of Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto and Saint-seans' 2nd from EMI; it is quite exciting. There he was more radical and possessed a scary virtuosity. Here he is emotively conservative and the incumbent manner in which Brahms emanates from him prevents Gilels from approaching the heights of Richter, Barenboim or Fleisher. Jochum and Gilels are professional but that day that is all they seemed satisfied with. However, they do imbue Brahms with a lethargic heaviness which I find appealing. Perhaps I am misunderstanding this tempo more with Brahms himself but I say in regards to Romanticism the heavier the better. By the way; the sound is fantastic and the BPO is gorgeous.

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

Tracks
Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15: Maestoso | Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15: Adagio | Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15: Rondo | Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83: Allegro non troppo | Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83: Allegro appassionato | Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83: Andante | Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83: Allegretto grazioso | Fantasias (7) for piano, Op. 116: No. 1 'Capricio' in A minor | Fantasias (7) for piano, Op. 116: No. 2 'Intermezzo' in A minor | Fantasias (7) for piano, Op. 116: No. 3 'Capriccio' in G minor | Fantasias (7) for piano, Op. 116: No. 4 'Intermezzo' in E major | Fantasias (7) for piano, Op. 116: No. 5 'Intermezzo' in E minor | Fantasias (7) for piano, Op. 116: No. 6 'Intermezzo' in E major | Fantasias (7) for piano, Op. 116: No. 7 'Capriccio' in D minor

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