Search - Beethoven, Rpo, Shelley :: Piano Concerto 1 in C Minor Op 15

Striking

David Saemann | 03/24/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In 1994, Michael Roll and Howard Shelley performed the cycle of Beethoven's Piano Concerti in London live with the London Mozart Players, whose principal guest conductor Shelley was. A year later, the two artists went into the studio to record the cycle plus the Triple Concerto with the Royal Philharmonic. The results will convince you that Michael Roll is the best pianist you've never heard of. In the First Concerto, he balances virtuosity with delicacy most eloquently. The performance is propulsive but never oversized, given the earliness of the work in Beethoven's catalog. The Emperor, appropriately, receives a larger scale performance from the soloist. It is a technically splendid reading, without idiosyncracy and clearly the result of many years of experience playing this work. Shelley is a wonderful accompanist. It is a rare thing to have a conductor who has played this cycle as a soloist, too. The orchestra plays with power but also with splendid ensemble. When faced with a conductor they like, hardly any orchestra can top the Royal Philharmonic. The sound engineering is beautifully full and lucid, combining excellent blend and wonderful detail. Even if you never have heard of Michael Roll (and I hadn't!), don't hesitate to hear some terrific Beethoven."