Beethoven: Piano Concertos

 

This is a solid set of Beethoven piano concertos from Vladimir Ashkenazy at the piano with Sir Georg Solti leading the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I certainly enjoy this more than Ashkenazy's others, one with Zubin Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and another with Ashkenazy leading The Cleveland Orchestra from the piano bench.

If I am hesitant to any degree, it is due to a lack of personality or character on the part of these performers. Does Beethoven need such things? Not necessarily, although sometimes I enjoy a performer's perspective rather than the composer speaking for himself.

A review from 2020

This latest Decca release of Beethoven’s 5 piano concertos led by Sir Georg Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Russian pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy from the 70’s features three remastered CD’s and an audio-only Blu-ray. The previous release, which also included some solo piano bagatelles can still be found on Decca, but the Blu-ray is a significant upgrade even if it drops the solo piano music.

These are pretty straight-forward performances and Ashkenazy is not particularly an intrusive rubato-ist here, with only some slight cadential spotlights in the first three early concertos. I do think he has more to say in the 4th and 5th concertos, where Ashkenazy and Solti are more audibly flexible with their give and take in those later concertos, but especially so in the 4th. Otherwise, Ashkenazy is clear, skillful, yet powerful throughout, and the style suits my preferences pretty well. The audio certainly puts the piano clear to the front and is rightfully center-stage against the orchestra. I certainly prefer Ashkenazy from this 70’s set compared to his later two outings, one with Zubin Mehta leading the Vienna Philharmonic on Decca and one of Ashkenazy leading Cleveland from the piano, also on Decca.

I know many accuse Solti of driven tempos and orchestral spectacle, but I just don’t hear that here; the tempos are anything if not moderate and the orchestral ritornellos seem confident, not overblown. The remastering certainly keeps the orchestra from overtaking the piano and I never sensed the soloist was ever going to be overwhelmed. Furthermore, I don’t detect any orchestral showboating, with Chicago’s string section a bit more forward from the brass and winds than is usually the norm. In this case, the balances are rather well judged, although I don’t think Solti is as inspired with the orchestral portions as I have heard from others. Some might find Chicago a bit of a massive orchestral entity compared to recent recordings, but I think it is overall fairly sensitive in its Blu-ray portrayal, although I do appreciate the solid bass line.

As to recorded competition, I always come back to Rudolf Serkin with Eugene Ormandy and Leonard Bernstein on CBS and on Sony for energetic, forward moving portrayals from the 60’s. Those Serkin performances also include a reference version of the Choral Fantasy for piano, orchestra, vocal soloists, and chorus, oddly missing from Ashkenazy’s collaboration with Solti. Otherwise, concerto recordings from Evgeny Kissin on Sony and Hélène Grimaud on Teldec and on DG have enjoyably come across my path more recently, all of whom sit among a host of classic old-school recordings.

In the end, this set of Beethoven’s piano concertos would be a welcome introduction to any listener. I am not sure if I am convinced that these performances have a particularly individual stamp, but they are energetically strong performances. The Blu-ray upgrade is definitely worth it for its clear Decca sound and exquisite balancing of musical forces.

Soloist
Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano

Performers
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Sir Georg Solti, conductor

Label: Decca
Year: 1971-72; 2017
Total Timing: 2.55.52

My touchstone when it comes to Beethoven's piano concertos comes from Rudolf Serkin.

These from Ashkenazy and Solti are a strong set still, and I enjoy the Blu-ray aspect to it as well. If you do not have the capability of audio-only Blu-ray, the concertos are spread across 3 RedBook CDs for anyone to enjoy.

Find more Beethoven recordings HERE!