Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 / Piano Sonatas Nos. 30 & 31, Opp. 58, 109, 110

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 / Piano Sonatas Nos. 30 & 31, Opp. 58, 109, 110 Review

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 / Piano Sonatas Nos. 30 & 31, Opp. 58, 109, 110 Overview

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Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 / Piano Sonatas Nos. 30 & 31, Opp. 58, 109, 110 Specifications

If Hélène Grimaud hasn't yet appeared on your radar screen of today's outstanding artists, do yourself a favor and get to know the amazing work of this young French pianist. As with her previous releases on Teldec, Grimaud hasn't set out to occupy a specialized niche of repertory. Instead, in knockout recordings of Brahms and Rachmaninoff, Grimaud's been staking out the prime territory. Any initial reservations about such works being over-recorded are quickly dispelled by the unique poetry and power her imagination brings to them, above all in this marvelous live performance of what is probably Beethoven's greatest piano concerto. Entire readings of the Fourth collapse due to misjudgment of its brief but microcosmic opening five bars of solo piano; listen to Grimaud's eloquent articulation of the all-important rhythm, given without intrusively subjective fuss. Her balance of lyricism against energetic momentum sets the stage perfectly for what is to follow. Masur--in almost telepathic sympathy with the soloist--brings a grandly expansive sensibility to the first movement that allows for deliciously precise details from the New York Philharmonic, without losing sight of the music's dramatic thrust. The disc also includes two of the late sonatas; Grimaud understands their complex emotional fabric and brings both clarity and intensity to her articulation. Especially beautiful is the variation movement of Opus 109, sensitively shaped and unencumbered with a dubious "mysticism." No matter how well you know this music, Grimaud is the kind of artist who can make you rethink and--most importantly--feel again what is taken for granted. --Thomas May

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Rachmaninov, Franck: Cello Sonatas

Rachmaninov, Franck: Cello Sonatas Review

Rachmaninov, Franck: Cello Sonatas Overview

Steven Isserlis is not only one of the finest, but one of the most adventurous cellists around; you can always trust him to have a surprise in store. On this disc, he pairs two famous sonatas with two of their composers' unfamiliar pieces: a slow, singing Prelude and an exotic Oriental Dance by Rachmaninov, and two songs with cello obbligato, one secular, one sacred, by Franck. The playing throughout is beyond praise. Isserlis' instrumental mastery is complete; technical problems do not exist. His tone is beautiful, dark, warm, focused, infinitely variable in color, nuance and intensity, flawlessly pure on all strings and in every register. His playing is striking for its unfailing nobility; free but controlled, it is inwardly expressive but never sentimental, ardently romantic and passionate but never excessive. The slow opening of the Rachmaninov is pure magic: unvibrated, it feels like a reluctant, gradual awakening. The movement is played for poetic, pensive lyri! cism, not bravura, but builds up to a passionate climax and ends in a blaze of glory. The Scherzo is ominous, the Trio is warmly serene, the slow movement sings luxuriously, and the Finale is brilliant, joyful, triumphant. Pianist Stephen Hough gives free rein to his virtuosity, but never overpowers the cello; his approach is more freely rhapsodic than that of Isserlis, but their interplay, ensemble, and balance are excellent. They play the Franck so convincingly that one almost forgets this is really a violin sonata. (In his always enlightening, entertaining program notes, Isserlis claims that both versions are equally authentic.) Though one misses the shimmering radiance of the violin's high register in the corner movements, their dreamy, sunlit serenity remains intact; the cello tone has a floating, disembodied transparency, but builds up tremendous power in the climaxes. The second movement is fast and tempestuous, while the third is very free and imaginative, almost op! eratic in its contrasts and mood changes. --Edith Eisler

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Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas & Concertos

Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas & Concertos Review

Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas & Concertos Overview

Alfred Brendel, one of the world's most famous and revered pianists, recently retired from the concert stage. With a career that spanned almost 60 years, Brendel has played a large portion of the piano solo, chamber and concerto repertoire in the world's great musical capitals. On January 5, 2011, Brendel will celebrate his 80th birthday. Decca is proud to re-issue, at an exceptional budget price, two box sets devoted to the core of Brendel's recital repertoire: Beethoven and Schubert. The Beethoven box is a re-issue of Brendel's ANALOGUE recordings of the Beethoven Sonatas (recorded 1970-77) along with his first cycle of the Beethoven concertos (recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Bernard Haitink 1976-77). These are different recordings than the previously released Beethoven cycle from Brendel (028947818212 - release 10/6/2009). CD 1 Sonatas Op.2, nos.1 & 2; op.7 CD 2 Sonatas Op.2 no.3; Op.10, nos.1 & 2; Op.13 CD 3 Sonatas Op.10, no.3; Op.14, nos.1 & 2 Op.22 CD 4 Sonatas Op.26; Op.27 nos.1 & 2; Op.28 CD 5 Sonatas Op.31 nos.1-3; Op.49 no.1 CD 6 Sonatas Op.49, no. 2; Op.53; Op.54; Op.57 CD 7 Sonatas Op.78; Op.79; Op.81a; Op.90; Op.101 CD 8 Sonatas Op.106; Op.109 CD 9 Sonatas Op.110; Op.111; Andante favori, WoO 57 CD 10 Piano Concertos 1 & 2 CD 11 Piano Concertos 3 & 4 CD 12 Piano Concerto 5; Choral fantasia

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Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3, Opp.10,26 / Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3, Opp.14,28

Prokofiev: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3, Opp.10,26 / Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3, Opp.14,28 Review

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