Bartok Bronfman Salonen - Piano Concertos 13 (9 tracks) +Album Reviews

Superb technique, beautiful music

Eric Brinkmann | Palo Alto, CA United States | 06/30/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yefim Bronfman is certainly one of the greatest living pianists, and the results here are magical. The three Bartok concertos are known as among the most technically difficult piano concertos ever written, yet Bronfman has everything in control here. The toccata-like movements gleam with precision and the slow movements have just the right kind of beauty. Forget Rachmaninoff. These are the great piano concertos of the 20th century."

Powerful piano and rich orchestral playing.

Grady Harp | 02/12/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"4.5 stars! This record is worth getting just for the interesting things, possibly by accident, that happen on the recording. First of all, the LA phil is really improving...the brass and wind playing is excellent and Sallonen's leadership over the group is proving itself to be top-notch. Bronfmann's playing is strong, confident, and amazingly clear...the Second Piano COncerto has an energy to it that sounds completely original and unabashed. But interestingly, there are moments when Bronfmann lifts the pedal or holds on to his notes a little too long--but it is a great effect....and undoubtedly intentional. Just listen to the second movement of the Second Concerto and you will know what I mean. Too hard to explain here. You could buy the record just for this reason! Hats off to Bronfmann."

I think brilliant dose'nt quite describe it.................

yazdanbuksh | Pune Maha. India | 07/29/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was just expecting a normal piano concerto, you know cool relaxed smooth sailing, but, what I was in for just could not be explained. As usual I was relaxing on my bed ready to hear my new cd, when the 1 concerto started.....no sooner did it start than I was up on my feet, stunned, astonished and completely daised. The piano concertos were anything but, smooth and easy to digest, instead they were full of technique and bomb blasting orchestrial music. Bronfman was playing like a man possessed hammering the piano for all that it was worth and salonen gaving him a brilliant backup. Together they completely changed my perspective of what a piano concerto should be or what it was............. Hats off to you Bela, he lived a life of a begger, but was always RICH in his music, I can't even begin to imagine of another cd that is better than these guys and the pumped up LA Philharmonic is just superb. For me there can be no greater piano concerto than this, aaaaa...well...accept for....brahms 1st piano concerto. As usual you will never live long enough to regret this cd..... I'll be honest this is the first time I've listened to Bartok's piano concertos and this cd is not even rated in the penguin guide........however, for the clarity and balance of recording, this cd is well due in the guide. But, don't wait for that buy it now. OH! Yes if you have a heart condition stay away form it alltogether.........(You have been warned)"

Total Involvement for Bartók's Progression of Concerti

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 10/02/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having recently praised the beauties of the Pierre Boulez recording of the three Bartók piano concertos each with a different orchestra and soloist (Zimmerman, Grimaud, Andsnes), returning to this wholly satisfying CD with Yefim Bronfman at the keyboard and Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic traversing these miraculous concerti is grounding. No hype here, just brilliant music making.

Bronfman has these three works so melded into his psyche that he makes the challenges sound simple and pulls the angst and romance of the slow movements into such pure and clear resonance with the orchestra that the result is transcendent. Salonen doesn't just conduct this fine orchestra: he collaborates with not only the soloist but also with each first desk player who has solo lines and then with the lush tutti sounds for which this orchestra is known.

In short, this is as fine a performance of I, II, and III of Bartók as any coupling on record. Indispensable Bartók! Grady Harp, October 05"

A raucous run-through without much to enjoy

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 02/21/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"As someone who knows and loves these three works, I expected a great deal from an avowed modernist like Salonen and the Russian emigre virtuoso Yefim Bronfman. But what we get here is raucous and disorganized readings--it's literally as if Bronfman just sat down and banged out the notes. Nor does Salonen offer much help; he has no overall conception of any of the three concertos--there's a good deal of detailed twiddling but very little in the way of atmosphere or emotion. YOu would think that Bartok wrote strings of difficult keyboard music with not much intention except to make a noise, along with some striking incidental effects. I will stick with individual favorites like Argerich/Dutoit in the First, Pollini/Abbado in the Second, and Ashkenazy/Solti in the Third, with backups such as the brilliant partial set from Barenboim and Boulez on EMI--buy that disc if you want to hear what color, emotion, and inner vitality are all about."

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