Beethoven: Piano Concerto 3 & 4
No, I don't think the Mahler Chamber Orchestra undersells the stronger moments of Beethoven's Piano Concerto no. 3 in C minor, however, the smaller number of players don't have the weight or depth of a modern symphony orchestra. This is the first I detected a historically-informed performance practice from this crew as well, where the unison ensemble tone is winsomely rounded, but soulless as far as inner vitality is concerned. Some will enjoy these aspects; I am less taken with them.
The first movement is less menacing and driven than other accounts, more on the side of elegance and balance instead. I do believe Beethoven's more famous piano concertos can hold up to such perspectives, yet, I just can't help noticing how tidy everything is here. Leif Ove Andsnes is not slow in this opening movement, but the space in the instrumentalists phrases make the music sound more stately, where the pianist prefers the lyrical elements.
The second movement fares better, where the tempo contrasts make the center portion of the concerto sound as if it is standing still. Some of the scale work sounds a little plain and perfunctory to my ears, maybe due to the tone of the piano in these moments. The last movement is the most impish from Beethoven, and this is where Andsnes rides the composer's musical ideas to the end of the concerto.
When covering Vol. 1 of my work series from Andsnes in Beethoven (BLOG), I didn't mention one rather important aspect of this concerto set. The Norwegian pianist decided to eschew an orchestral conductor in lieu of leading the ensemble himself from the keyboard. I believe this to be a choice of vanity in general, but many eventually choose to do so, such as Ashkenazy did after a few previous ones with conductors. I can understand the wont to do so, as the pianist doesn't have to compromise as far as interpretation is concerned, yet I find such conductorless sets lacking. I think Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto could do with vision from the podium here, at the very least to create some moments between the ensemble and pianist which are missing.
No, this one won't rise to a favorite anytime soon for this listener. But again, many will enjoy the pianist's clarity and scaled-down orchestral fabric heard in this concerto.
For those awaiting yet another derogatory stance regarding Leif Ove Andsnes in Beethoven, here in Piano Concerto no. 4 in G Major, I enjoy his application of a stronger personality in this music. Yes, I would prefer a less understated performance in Beethoven's most wayward and revolutionary piano concerto, yet Andsnes is more apt to occasionally push and pull here and there, something I hadn't noticed from him before now. Neither can anyone argue with Andsnes' pianism, for his technique is astounding, and I think this concerto showcases this aspect better than the others thus far as well.
I think the Fourth Piano Concerto is more successful here than the others simply due to the rather pastoral nature of the music, one which seems right up Andsnes' alley. Again, the phrasings are a little shortsighted from the orchestra, but I think the joyful elements of the music are conveyed gracefully, and that is just fine in this music. On the other hand, the revolutionary aspects are downplayed some, although the disparate elements are realized into a cogent whole.
Can I take two moments to comment on the physical media? The booklets attached to both CDs pictured above have many shots of Leif Ove Andsnes gazing out at nature, as well as full pages, and sometimes two back-to-back pages, of skies with clouds, flocks of birds, summery forest paths, and rippling lakes, not counting the rather spare cover art. One thing is missing, though... where is Beethoven? I counted 7 pages of anonymous nature scenes in the set of Piano Concertos 1 & 3, plus another four pages in Piano Concertos 2 & 4.
For a 3CD set entitled The Beethoven Journey, could we not have expended even a half-page image dedicated to the person who composed the music? Sure, of all of music history's many composers, the image of Beethoven is perhaps the one most indelibly seared into my memory without a needed visual reference, yet with all of the liner notes and interviews praising the works of Beethoven, this seems a glaring omission. Akin to my descriptions above, I would say this is a shameless vanity project, yet the performers are often not involved in the art design, so I am going to give Andsnes the benefit of the doubt here.
So what of Piano Concerto no. 4? One of the better from Andsnes as pianist, a little anodyne from the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and in need of a stronger musical profile in my opinion. That said, it is the best of the set thus far. From Beethoven or Andsnes, though...?
Work Series
Vol. 2 from Beethoven Piano Concertos on Sony
Works
Piano Concerto 3 in C minor, op. 37 (35.24)
Piano Concerto 4 in G Major, op. 58 (34.00)
Soloist
Leif Ove Andsnes, piano
Performers
Mahler Chamber Orchestra
Label: Sony
Year: 2012 & 2014; 2019
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