Search - Beethoven, Weissenberg, Karajan :: Piano Concertos 3 & 5: Karajan Edition

A great collaboration

Tina Morris | Rockville, MD USA | 03/28/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Karajan and Weissenberg are a perfect match for the Beethoven piano concertos. This particular recording has #s 3 and 5, I would guess the two most popular ones. While I am personally not too fond of #5 (The Emperor concerto) in general, this recording is superb. The C minor concerto (#3) on the other hand, is my absolute favorite and this particular recording is in my top three choices for this work, the others being Svjatoslav Richter/Riccardo Muti and Maurizio Pollini/Karl Boehm. Weissenberg has impeccable technique, but what is really amazing is that he has the same subtle sense for pace, force and harmony that makes Karajan's style so wonderful. They really go together very well and create a beautiful, very uniquely homogenous interpretation of the piece that left me highly satisified. This recording is from the mid-seventies, but the sound quality is very good. EMI has done a very good job in remastering all of Karajan's work for the "Karajan edition". Beethoven piano concertos 1+2 are available in the same series and the are equally worthwile"

Phenomenal performances!

D. R. Schryer | Poquoson, VA United States | 03/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alexis Weissenberg was one of the greatest pianists of the 20th century. (Unfortunately, I do not know whether he is still alive in this century or not.) Weissenberg's technique is incredible, but his artistry is even more astounding. Personally, I regard him as the greatest pianist I've ever heard. As one would expect from such a great pianist, his performances of the Beethoven piano concertos are superb, as is the accompaniment by Herbert von Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic. Particularly outstanding is the performance of the Emperor Concerto which is monumental. No other currently-available performance of the Emperor Concerto comes even close to this one. The performance of Concerto No. 3 is quite good. Unfortunately, many of Weissenberg's recordings are not available on CD. Please do yourself a favor and buy this CD while it's still available."