Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Bernard Haitink, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra :: Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 4 and 5

The brain tune-up

Alejandra Vernon | Long Beach, California | 01/23/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Claudio Arrau (1903-1991) was in his prime when this was recorded in 1964, and despite the age that is evident in the sound, there is a luminosity to his playing that is extraordinary in its ability to stir the emotions and almost leave one breathless. From passages of exquisite tenderness to vigorous power, more than the flawless technique, is the spirit of the piece, which he captures so beautifully. The Concerto # 4 is fabulous, and there may be better recordings for sound quality, but few will surpass the interpretation.



Arrau was born in Chile, and was a child prodigy, and studied with Martin Krause, who had been Liszt's pupil. Arrau spent years giving concerts in Europe, and made his Carnegie Hall debut at age 20, by then already a seasoned performer. I had the good fortune of hearing him in London in '62, and his presence as well as his performance had many in the audience in tears...and some of that presence, an air of greatness, can be felt in this recording.



I have never really cared for the "Emperor", always preferring the more "Mozartian" 1 through 4 concertos, but a pianist I know told me that if you listen to the # 5 once a day, it wakes up the brain cells, and presumably makes one smarter. After a week of listening to this fantastic CD, I may not be much smarter, but have grown to love the "Emperor", so I've already gained a great deal from the "brain tune-up".

This no-frills bargain CD has no liner notes or recording info, and total playing time is 74'42.

"

The Fourth to Get!

David Dennis | San Mateo, CA | 01/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You can find no recorded performance of Beethoven's 4th better than this, even surprassing Maria Ginburg's. And this performance, from the 60's, far surpasses Arau's later work in the 80's, when his age was beginning to show. Yes, the recording quality is a bit better on the 80's disc, but would you rather hear a very good recording of an artist in his performing prime or a pristine performance of an artist in his sunset years? In any case, this Eloquence reissue has been newly remastered using Ambient Sound Imaging and the results are very pleasurable and engaging. To top it all off, at this price this performance is a steal. 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5."

These recordings won a Deutscher Schallplattenpreis

Sancho Sánchez | Burwood, NSW Australia | 04/27/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These 1964 recordings form part of a full Beethoven concerto cycle which in turn is a pivotal part of Arrau's core recorded legacy. The most essential Arrau is clearly captured in these interpretations, as is also the case in his previous (EMI, late 50's) and subsequent (Philips, mid 80's) Beethoven complete concerto cycles. I spent 20 long years admiring Beethoven through these prize winning performances and I am only too happy to have them at my fingertips now. I have noticed that they are available in alternative packagings."