Search - Johannes Brahms, Joseph Rescigno, Orchestre Métropolitain :: Brahms: Piano Concertos/Intermezzi

Undoubtedly Top-Notch: Great, hearty, wise, tender Brahms

Dan Fee | Berkeley, CA USA | 08/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you do not already know and hear and greatly prize the recordings of Canadian Anton Kuerti - well you are really in for a tremendous treat as you newly get acquainted. Despite regular CD sound that is just the slightest bit dated, for example, his complete Beethoven sonatas are high peaks in the recorded literatures so far. Yes, you may have other single sonatas to fill out your collection; but if you had only the single proverbial complete set to take to the proverbial desert island - well the Kuerti would nourish you for the rest of your desert island life.



At hand in this set are both of the Brahms piano concertos.



In the first, Kuerti displays plenty of fire, drama, athletic strength, tenderness, and - what is the phrase? - sturm and drang. The youthful Brahms was in great turmoil, partly because he had fallen completely in love with his friend and mentor's wife, Clara Schumann. As a musician and as a woman she had totally enthralled him. What to do? Easy, write a big, bold concerto into which you pour all of your young adult heart, mind, and soul. Kuerti captures or recreates all of this without for a split second diminishing the concerto as absolute music. His reading simply has it all. He is strong, manly, athletic - not afraid of the passing big Brahmsian gesture. He is reticent yet deeply feeling. He communicates in the notes, in between the notes, under the notes, and all around the notes. He perfectly balances Brahms the young high romantic composer with Brahms the great intellect, student of Medieval polyphony, and covert blazer of new trails in western classical music. You can listen to Kuerti on as many levels as you like in this first piano concerto, and you will find life energy, romance, narrative, and a seemingly inexhaustible spiritual dimension.



In the second concerto, Kuerti maintains his excellent genius. But he is transparent now to the older, wiser Brahms who has written other famous musical works, taught and studied and led populist choral societies, laughed, and seen a great many happy and difficult things through in life. The sheer energy that geared the composer's youthful sturm and drang, now lights and banks bonfires of wisdom, sane repose, and mature satisfaction. Kuerti distinguishes all of this contextual life change, without failing to communicate the composer vividly to us through the music. Fittingly, the second disc filler is the set of late Brahms solo piano pieces, Opus 117.



The Orchestre Metropolitain is Montreal's other band. They sound brisker in this set, just that tad bit younger than their confreres in the Montreal Symphony (especially as it got recorded under Charles Dutoit). There is nothing amateurish about their work here. They are right with Rescigno and Kuerti every step of the musical way. They never play the music as if it were about them, instead of being Brahms. Their many opportunities for solo display are handled impeccably, and they partner with Kuerti in passing as if they had long been chamber music partners with him, after hours. No department of the orchestra is flailing, lacking, or weak in technical capacities, or in tonal allure.



Nothing to complain about here, then. Much to cherish, hear, appreciate, and play - again and again and again. This set goes right to the keeper shelf. There it will be completely welcome, along side the likes of Fleischer-Szell, Serkin-Szell, Arrau-Giulini, Ashkenazy-Haitink, and others.



Stop reading. Buy. Listen, Listen, Listen, Listen."