Search - Ludwig van Beethoven :: Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos.1 - 4

Fine Beethoven Piano Concerti From Kempff, Leitner, BPO

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 07/28/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's a pity that Deutsche Grammophon didn't release the first three concerti in Kempff's final Deutsche Grammophon Beethoven Piano Concerti cycle with Ferdinand Leitner conducting the Berlin Philharmonic as part of its The Originals series of great recordings (Thankfully it has with the 4th and 5th concerti.). Although some say Kempff's playing was more expressive in his 1950's traversal of Beethoven's concerti, his dramatic keyboard technique and lyrical playing still sounds impressive nearly a decade later. Without question these are still among the best recordings of Beethoven's first four piano concerti still available. It's hard for me to single out which of these are best, though Kempff truly shines in both the 3rd and 4th piano concerti, giving exhilarating performances of both works. Leitner leads the Berlin Philharmonic in splendid orchestral performances that are as exquisite as Kempff's playing. The sound quality of this two CD set is quite good, due to Deutsche Grammophon's 24 bit digital remastering."

Refreshing Beethoven Performances

jonsj | New York, NY United States | 08/11/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Although critical opinion seems to favor Kempff's earlier mono set of the Beethoven Piano Concertos with the BPO conducted by Paul van Kempen (now included in a DG "Original Masters" set of Kempff's 50s concerto recordings), I prefer this set, recorded several years later with the same orchestra conducted by Ferdinand Leitner. The stereo sound is certainly an advantage, but also it seems to me that Kempff is on more energized form. The beautiful, limpid sound he got from the piano is everywhere in evidence, but when Beethoven amps it up, Kempff - to my surprise - can storm with the best of them. The Kempen set, by contrast, seems a bit more subdued. I particularly admire the performances of 2 and 4 here. The counterpoint between the heavy BPO sound (though not too galumphing, and Leitner elicits mostly incisive playing) and Kempff's glittering sonority works to magical effect. This is not fiery, sturm-und-drang Beethoven, but nor is it overly refined. These are, instead, performances which really breathe, with a great pianist lovingly exploring this music with poetry, wit, and vigor when needed. These recordings won't appeal to everyone, but, having somewhat burned out on the Beethoven Piano Concertos, I personally found these discs deeply refreshing and rewarding."