Beethoven: Piano Concerto 1 & 2

 

Under the hands of Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, Beethoven's Piano Concerto no. 1 in C Major swiftly moves forward, in timings on the fast side in comparison to others. And yet, there is never a hectic or manic feeling to this concerto. Quite the opposite actually. On first hearing, I thought the first movement sounded unusually staid, mainly due to the sheer amount of space between notes from the orchestral instrumentalists.

Thus, we come to the primary quality of Andsnes' Beethoven. Elegance and clarity are ever at the forefront of these performances. Perhaps the early Beethoven concertos can take such an approach, since unlike the first two symphonies, which remind the listener right away as to who the composer is, that is not always the case in these first two piano concertos.

I think this works best for the pianist in the slow movement, where after a fleet tempo, it almost sounds like Andsnes suspends time in the following movement. Only in comparison to others does the realization dawn that this is still fairly flowing in speed. I especially enjoy the energetic finale, which overall works the best here, I think.

On the other hand, I would hate to think what a continuation of these musical elements, donned by Andsnes, means for the middle and late concertos. Beethoven can easily hold up to muscular accounts, and for my money, is probably my personal preference. If Andsnes keeps the personality of Beethoven tamped down, I don't think the set will be a winner for this listener.

I really like the sonics though, where my litmus test of being able to hear the bassoons is as clear as daylight. I sometimes think the body of strings sounds could be fuller, most obvious anytime the string section plays in unison. So too, the engineers really push the strings back when in an accompaniment role, and I think they could have more presence overall. Of course, while the piano is forward, it is not done so in a clattery or percussive way, so the tone of the piano is ideally captured, maybe as some explanation to why the orchestra gets pushed back when not in the lead.

So, to be frank, I am curious as to where Andsnes will go from here. I am not insulted by his particular style of pianism and leadership, but I don't know how long it will hold for me in his series.

Andsnes takes fairly moderate tempos in Piano Concerto no. 2 in B-flat Major, compared to those he chose in the First Piano Concerto. The music here never feels indulgent, where the clarity and grace from the previous concerto are continued from beginning to end.

With this choice, though, by the end of the concerto, I thought this performance was a complete snoozefest. There is no character to the music, so badly needed in this earlier piano concerto, an odd chronology despite its No. 2 moniker. If you enjoy the gently lyrical approach to Beethoven, with some HIP tendencies applied to a modern-instrument orchestra, you may greatly enjoy what is here, but I found my mind wandering at nearly every turn. The only blessing for this listener is there are no Minuets in a piano concerto; those are relegated to four-movement works.

There is no denying Andsnes' technique, and I actually really enjoy his über clean, spic-and-span pedaling, where I was often dumbstruck by the pianist's precise and clear textures. The same texture is applied to the reduced Mahler Chamber Orchestra, so perhaps my feelings are a matter of too much of a good thing. Often times, I like to hear players get down and dirty in Beethoven, but that is not the modus operandi of these performers.

So, my worries I mentioned in the Piano Concerto no. 1 snippet above, as to where Andsnes will go after these two early concertos, is compounded with this performance of the Second Piano Concerto. No, there is never anything bad here, quite the contrary; it is simply all too polite for this listener. Of course, I would say the same for performances of the concertos and symphonies from Haydn and Mozart as well.

Work Series
Vol. 1 from Beethoven Piano Concertos on Sony



Works
Piano Concerto 1 in C major, op. 15 (32.44)
Piano Concerto 2 in B-flat Major, op. 19 (35.24)

Soloist
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano

Performers
Mahler Chamber Orchestra

Label: Sony
Year: 2012 & 2014; 2019

 

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