Each of these performances has its own profile. The orchestra plays
incisively in the First Concerto, but Ashkenazy's plush lyricism
doesn't make a good match either with the orchestra or with the music,
and he makes one weird ritard in the first movement. The Second
Concerto is uneventful, rather bland and pleasant. The Third Concerto
seems to be the best performance of the lot, with dramatic playing by
soloist and orchestra, but it's sabotaged by blurry recorded sound, the
only serious problem with sound quality in the entire set. The Fourth
Concerto is enlivened, at least intellectually, by Solti's approach,
constantly revealing interesting unfamiliar details in the orchestral
score. Ashkenazy's detachment makes this a frosty but fascinating
experience. The "Emperor" is a good routine performance, nothing
special. The Bagatelles aren't much of a bonus, since they're rather
dully played. (Why not the "Choral" Fantasy?) There's nothing actively
bad about this set, and it's reasonably priced. But Beethoven deserves
better, and gets it from many performers, including the fascinating
Uchida-Sanderling collaborations.
Leslie Gerber, Amazon.com
Ashkenazy and Solti at their best
I agree with those who've given this set of Beethoven piano concerti
high praise. Rarely have I've heard Ashkenazy play with such warmth and
enthusiasm and Solti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are equally
superb too, giving wonderful performances that do not overshadow
Ashkenazy's fine playing. I doubt I've heard a more compelling version
of the 4th Piano Concerto - except where noted below - and the 5th is
just as fine as well. At any price, this has to rate as one of the best
Beethoven piano concerto cycles out there. The only ones which I have a
slight preference over this set are those with Alfred Brendel as
soloist and James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a
series of live performances during the early 1980's and the mid 1980's
studio recordings of Claudio Arrau with Sir Colin Davis conducting the
Dresden Staatskapelle. Both were recorded by Philips and are
substantially more expensive than the Ashkenazy/Solti Decca set.
John Kwok from New York, NY, February 28, 2001
Ashkenazy and Solti Make Magic!
These are wonderful performances of Beethoven's piano concertos. Based
on the positive reviews and the high sales rank, a lot of people agree
that there is not much wrong with this set.I would be hesitant to call
this set the best, but if you are trying to decided on a box set of the
concertos, you will not be disappointed with this one at all.
Unlike other performances of the concertos, instead of the piano being
the dominant instrument, the orchestra tries to have it's role be equal
with the piano. With a Mozart piano concerto this wouldn't work since
those pieces are more of chamber works, it would sound like the
instruments are just playing louder then normal. The aggressive nature
of the orchestra does work here. Solti and Ashkenazy turn the concertos
into orchestral pieces or mini-symphonies. Ashkenazy and the piano
never get lost or drowned out though. He plays with much power and
beauty. Because of this approach to the pieces, the 4th and 5th are
outstanding. The 4th sounds reminiscent of Beethoven's "Pastoral"
symphony (which was written around the same time); it's powerful,
passionate and driven. Ashkenazy and Solti bring a level of energy to
the 5th which no duo has brought before. When you hear it, you want to
get up, conduct and play the piano at the same time. The third movement
has the vigor and excitement found in good performances of Beethoven's
7th symphony. You will not find better recordings of the 4th and 5th
concertos.
Even if you own another collection of Beethoven's piano concertos, pick
up this one for the 4th and 5th, they are simply spectacular.
Seth from Philadelphia, Pa United States, February 21, 2001
Fabulous, Sensational, Breathtaking ...
WIth several versions of Beethoven concertos out there, one might find
it difficult to find the best one. To explain how great this 3 CD set
is, I will refer to the Emperor concerto--I have listened to few
different plyings of this concerto (including Horowitz and Brendel,
other ones from the radio etc), but I must say that the one by
Ashkenazy is the most beautiful. Ashkenazy's playing is unequalled, and
while some other players tend to go too fast on some parts and thereby
kill its delicate beauty, Ashkenazy's playing is sensational from start
to end and will have you playing the CDs over and over. Personally, I
haven't seen a better Beethoven player than Ashkenazy, and one critic
has said about his playing: "whatever Ashkenazy plays, he plays
well...Ashkenazy does not interpret music, he breaths it." Get this
fabulous set of Beethoven concertos; there is no competition when it
comes to Ashkenazy's playing.
yoopa from Staten Island, NY USA, February 13, 2001
Fantastic
This collection is by far the best interpretation of Beethoven's piano
concertos I've ever heard. I play the 1st, 2nd, and 4th piano concerto.
This set is excellent for students, to hear how the music is supposed
to be played. Personally, I favor the 4th piano concerto. The 1st is
played a little to fast, but nevertheless, it is still a great buy, and
at the price offered at amazon, you'd be crazy not to get it!
pianoman2701 from College Station, Texas United States, November 23, 2000
