Music / klaverkoncerter

Emperor concerto


Reviews (48)


Classics today

2015

By

By

Jed Diestler

2015

"This release brings Thomas Dausgaard's survey of Beethoven's orchestral works and Boris Berezovsky's concerto cycle to a stimulating close ... Whatever Dausgaard's chamber orchestra lacks in dynamic heft is more than compensated for by strong rhythmic acuity and utterly clear balances between sections in loud tuttis ... Berezovsky pedals sparely, letting his sharply honed fingers do the work with eloquence and just the right force ... Berezovsky and Dausgaard leave a formidable mark".


MusicWeb international

2024 June

By

By

William Hedley

2024 June

"Recommended: This live performance receives a warm welcome from the Swedish audience - complete with a 'bravo!' - as well it might. The string section sounds to be fairly small in number, giving a most attractive prominence to the wind. Orchestral textures are exceptionally clean ... Indeed, the quieter passages are particularly beguiling throughout, with Biss making his right hand melodies really sing ... Brett Dean's Piano Concerto is sub-titled `Gneixendorfer Music - A Winter's Journey' ... Biss puts in an astonishing performance of what sounds like a fiendish technical and musical challenge ... I cannot recommend this disc too highly".


jcklassisk

d. 7. May 2014

By

By

John Christiansen

d. 7. May 2014

"Cd'en er tydeligt con amore arbejde for Yundi ... Yundis musikalske sundhed, hans ærefrygt for musikken kombineret med spilleglæde gør, at hans Beethoven er stor at lytte til. Samarbejdet med Daniel Harding og Berliner Philharmoniker har format".


MDT.co.uk

2008

By

2008

"The project - Pletnev’s interpretation of a large part of Beethoven’s oeuvre - reflects a very individual and special reading of Beethoven’s music. Pletnev is famous for being a free yet sublime musician. He strongly believes in interpretative freedom and an artist’s obligation not to deliver a “mausoleum-like performance” but rather to make classical music come to life by using it to communicate his own emotions to the audience".


Politiken

d. 30. Oct. 2007

By

By

Thomas Michelsen

d. 30. Oct. 2007

"Beethovenfortolkninger, der virker modne, personlige og udpræget stærke. ’Kejserkoncerten’ forlanger brillans, og det får den. Både fra Hélène Grimauds klartringende klavertirader med deres styrke og flugt og fra orkestrets excellente spil under en særdeles fyrig Vladimir Jurowski ... Det er alt sammen velfungerende. Resultaterne fænger og indgyder tro på Grimauds fremtid".


Kristeligt dagblad

d. 21. Mar. 2022

By

By

Peter Dürrfeld

d. 21. Mar. 2022

"En ny Naxos-indspilning af værket [Kejserkoncerten] har den 37-årige russiske pianist Boris Giltburg som solist, og den 45-årige britisk-russiske dirigent Vasily Petrenko står i spidsen for Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. Det er en flot fremførelse ... af et værk, der i forvejen findes i mange attraktive indspilninger, for generationer af pianister har taget livtag med det. Som bonus får man et ungdomsværk, som Beethoven komponerede hjemme i Bonn: en klaverkoncert i Es-dur. Den er ikke på niveau med "Kejserkoncerten", men ... en spændende forret, som burde have været anbragt inden hovedretten".


Jyllands-posten

d. 31. Mar. 2014

By

By

Jens Povlsen

d. 31. Mar. 2014

"Tilstedeværelse og friskhed syder i hans bud på Kejserkoncerten ... Resultatet er ikke lige stilfuldt alle steder. Til gengæld er det hamrende medrivende hele vejen igennem. I Schumanns uforlignelige Fantasi i C-dur har Yundi ikke samme overskud i fortolkningen. Men fuldt firspring har indimellem også ret".


Politiken

d. 22. May 2014

By

By

Thomas Michelsen

d. 22. May 2014

"En cd, hvor stilsikkerhed, klarhed og åbenlys pianistisk pondus godt og vel opvejer det ferske og firskårne i hans udgave af Beethovens ' Kejserkoncert'. Men Yundis livtag med Schumanns C-dur-fantasi når ikke op til fortolkninger af fyrtårne som Vladimir Horowitz ... Han mangler noget poetisk åndsslægtskab i forhold til musikken".


Jyllands-posten

d. 4. Oct. 2014

By

By

Jens Povlsen

d. 4. Oct. 2014

"Leif Ove Andsnes vender sig mere indad end mange andre pianister, men han behøver heller ikke spille med musklerne. Vendingernes klarhed og hans dulmende nærvær er ofte nok ... Han kan overvælde enhver, når han sender sin forunderlige hvirvelstorm af Beethoven ind i øret".


Politiken

d. 19. Feb. 2008

By

By

Thomas Michelsen

d. 19. Feb. 2008

"Det virtuose dash er klart til stede - det er lissom det, russeren kan - men arrogancen lyser også klart igennem. Det er flashy Beethoven ... Covernoterne ... citerer den selvbevidste pianist for, at Beethoven ikke skal lægges i mausoleum. Nej vist skal han ikke, men hans noder skal dog behandles med en vis respekt. Ikke som her, hvor selv akkompagnementsfigurer i klaveret fremhæves på orkestermelodiens bekostning, og de hysteriske overdrivelser især i finalen taler ned til lytteren".


Weekendavisen

d. 14. Dec. 2007

By

By

Peter Johannes Erichsen

d. 14. Dec. 2007

"En ganske åndfuld oplevelse at opleve pianisten Hélène Grimaud nærme sig dette prangende værk med næsten benovet ynde. Den ligeledes unge dirigent Vladimir Jurowski sætter heller ikke eliteorkestret Staatskapelle Dresden i gang med højglansrutine, men fremelsker et ganske henvejret klangbillede".


Jyllands-posten

d. 27. Nov. 2007

By

By

John Christiansen

d. 27. Nov. 2007

"Den fascinerende Hélène Grimaud s indtrængende og enkle udførelse af Beethovens femte klaverkoncert".


Jyllands-posten

d. 29. Jan. 2008

By

By

John Christiansen

d. 29. Jan. 2008

"Man skal have ret stive ører skruet på for ikke at opdage Pletnevs geniale opdagelser i en ellers velkendt musik. Man kan blive irriteret, når hans enegang udarter sig. Lyt blot til begyndelsen af den femte klaverkoncert, som begynder så langsomt og selvglad kejserlig, at man utålmodigt venter på, at han kommer i gang, men det gør han så med en forløsende friskhed. Og adagioen er bjergtagende. Det er Beethoven for dem, som tør lytte til det anderledes og opdage herligt nyt".


BBC music magazine

2024 June

By

By

Claire Jackson

2024 June

"Jonathan Biss's recent autobiography details the pianist's dedication to the composer, and while a career spent in Beethoven's shadow has led to jarring emotional self-discovery, Biss's own pianism is wondrous for its apparent ease. Ironically, it is the quiet stillness that he finds in Beethoven that marks Biss as a master ... This is the fifth and final instalment in his Beethoven/5 series, a project that has paired Beethoven's piano concertos with newly commissioned works ... now Brett Dean ... [His] music quotes from the corresponding concerto, but cleverly distorts the original material".


The gramophone classical music guide

2009

By

2009

"A magnificent, aristocratic interpretation from Kempff's second cycle. Still sounding very good for its 1962 vintage".


The Penguin stereo record guide

1975

By

1975

"Even amidst the wealth of fine Emperor performances Kempff's version stands out as perhaps the most refreshing and imaginative of all ... As ever Kempff's range of tone-colour is extraordinarily wide, from the merest half-tone as though the fingers are barely brushing the keys to the crisp impact of a dry fortissimo".


Klassisk

2007, nr. 7

By

By

Søren H. Schauser

2007, nr. 7

"Det er bestemt blevet en dejlig plade, en ægte Grimaud med alle de skarpe kanter og effektfulde pauser. Men helt i top ligger den ikke: Dels virker selve lyden sært unaturlig, overdigitaliseret. Dels klinger orkestret overraskende anonymt ... Til sidst får man den skønne Helene helt for sig selv i en nok så vellykket version af sonaten op. 101".


BBC music magazine

2007 October

By

By

Misha Donat

2007 October

"Hélène Grimaud's Emperor is something of a disappointment following her fine account of Beethoven's Fourth Concerto (Warner Classics). It's not that her playing is in any way lacking in stature and grandeur ... but that some of the Concerto's most spellbinding moments don't quite come off ... Grimaud's performance of the op. 101 Sonata is affectionale and expressive".


Diapason

2022 été

By

By

Bertrand Boissard

2022 été


Klassisk

2022, nr. 66

By

By

Jeppe Rönnow

2022, nr. 66

"Skal man opføre musikken, som den var tænkt oprindeligt, eller må man gerne assimilere en musikhistorisk udvikling, der har fundet sted, efter at musikken blev komponeret? Spørgsmålet er aktuelt ved Boris Giltburgs opførelse af den 14-årige Beethovens klaverkoncert nr. 0 fra 1784. Meget lidt kendt, da orkesternoderne er gået tabt ... Giltburg spiller den for soloklaver ... pænt og korrekt og rammer stilen lige i øjet med en let og behagende karakter ... Med andre ord er Giltburgs udlægning korrekt, men kedelig og uinteressant. Han spiller lige så fermt og rigtig i den store "Kejserkoncert" på samme udgivelse ... men musik opstår mellem linjerne og skal helst lyde, som om den bliver lavet på stedet".


BBC music magazine

2022 May

By

By

Bayan Northcott

2022 May

"Playing a bright-toned Fazioli grand with grand with steely authority, Giltburg gives a fine account of the 'Emperor' Concerto ... In short, a reliable, inexpensive, straight-down-the-middle modern account without interpretative eccentricities".


BBC music magazine

2010 November

By

By

Misha Donat

2010 November

"Certainly, there's much to enjoy in these performances".


BBC music magazine

2015 February

By

By

Michael Tanner (musikanmelder)

2015 February

"All told it makes for a satisfying account of Beethoven's leonine work. The evident rapport between Freire and Chailly is especially evident in the superb confrontation at the climax of the first movement".


Diapason

2014 novembre

By

By

Patrick Szersnovicz

2014 novembre


BBC music magazine

2006 September

By

By

Michael Tanner (musikanmelder)

2006 September

"Has a lot going for it, though by no means enough for an unqualified recommendation ... Using such a lean sound, Zinman is able to bring into unwonted prominence many woodwind details normally buried in a rich, full-sized modern orchestra ... worth having for the "fillers"".


Fono Forum

2020 April

By

By

Michael Kube

2020 April

"Einspielungen von Beethovens Klavierkonzerten mit einem historischen Instrumentarium sind eine spannende Angelegenheit ... Deutlich wird im Vergleich ... dass es eben nicht allein um den Flügel geht, sondern auch um die technischen, mehr noch: die gestalterischen Qualitäten des Solisten, wie sie Kristian Bezuidenhout souverän ausspielt ... Das Zusammenwirken mit dem Freiburger Barockorchester geschieht auf allerhöchsten Niveau".


Diapason

2020 mars

By

By

Jean-Christophe Pucek

2020 mars


BBC music magazine

2020 April

By

By

Misha Donat

2020 April

"Concerto choice: These are invigorating performances of Beethoven's first and last concertos, conveying an admirable sense of spontaneity ... The entire performance [of No. 2] radiates energy and enjoyment ... Bezuidenhout treats the flourishes at the beginning of the Emperor Concerto with a good deal of freedom, lending them an appropriately improvisatory feel ... This really is exciting playing, and Bezuidenhout's virtuosity is impressive".


The gramophone

2024 August

By

By

Jed Distler

2024 August

"In 2015 Jonathan Biss asked five stylistically diverse composers to write concertos that respectively responded to each of Beethoven's five. The first recording resulting from this project pairs Beethoven's ubiquitous 'Emperor' Concerto alongside Brett Dean's 'answer' concerto subtitled 'Gneixendorf Music - Eine Winterreise' ... Biss' assured command of the demanding keyboard-writing and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra's bracing proficiency are well captured ... I find much of Biss' pearly, intimately scaled phrasing tasteful and on point".


International record review

2007 October

By

By

Stephen Pruslin

2007 October

"One senses that somewhere within Hélène Grimaud there is a genuine questing artist. I hope that she outgrows her present image-makers so that she can fulfil this potential".


Optakt

2007 01

By

By

Jens Cornelius

2007 01

"I koncertsalen er det en oplevelse at se den diminutive franske pianistinde, der synes at trodse sine fysiske muligheder. Når man nøjes med lyden på cd er det mindre interessant, og opmærksomheden går i højere grad til det glimrende Statskapel fra Dresden, som er i et fast greb hos den unge stjernedirigent Vladimir Jurowski. Han giver isære den store 1. sats en flot, symfonisk karakter".


The gramophone

2022 May

By

By

Patrick Rucker

2022 May

"What is going on here? Battle fatigue? An attempt to clear away the accumulated underbrush of personalised interpretation? An attempt at establishing a new school of Beethoven's interpretation, with the central tenet 'less is more'? Some may like it. Personally speaking, if your aim is to portray canonic art to others, it seems to me that a point of view might be a good place to begin".


The gramophone

2010 Awards

By

By

Bryce Morrison

2010 Awards

"The Norrköping Symphony and the Eric Ericson Chamber Choir are entirely at one with their soloist. Beethoven with a difference, then, finely balanced and recorded".


International record review

2010 October

By

By

Nigel Simeone

2010 October

"Like the earlier discs in Brautigam's Beethoven concerto series this one is in superlative sound. Barry Cooper's notes are fascinating and a model of how such things should be done. Recommended, especially for the sparkling Choral Fantasy".


High fidelity

2002 2

By

2002 2


International record review

2014 May

By

By

Stephan Pruslin

2014 May

"DG's recorded sound appropriately conveys the simultaneous richness and clarity of Yundi's playing".


The gramophone

2014 November

By

By

Richard Osborne (f. 1943)

2014 November

"Behind its [Emperor] bullish persona lie gradations of light and shade that require a specifically Beethovenian finenes and surety of touch. Its greatest interpreters - Curzon, Kempff, Gilels, Kovacevich, Perahia - have that ... Freire's virtuosity is of a more all-purpose kind ... Freire's Op. 111 is strong on thrusting narrative; rather vaguer when it comes to those physical and metaphysical elements which a Schnabel, an Arrau or a Pollini identify and define".


BBC music magazine

2016 September

By

By

Misha Donat

2016 September

"The Choral Fantasy is a fascinating work in its own right: an amalgam of concerto, variations and cantata ... [This is] as fine a performance as you are likely to find".


Kristeligt dagblad

d. 25. Oct. 1999

By

d. 25. Oct. 1999


Politiken

d. 12. Dec. 1999

By

d. 12. Dec. 1999


Berlingske tidende

d. 22. Dec. 1999

By

d. 22. Dec. 1999


The gramophone

2014 Awards

By

By

Harriet Smith

2014 Awards

"Vurdering: Editor's choice" - "Andsnes manages to be lithe and spontaneous-sounding, and doesn't overplaying hints of melodrama ... In a way Andsnes reminds me of Schnabel in his sureness of touch, albeit in a very different style ... The unanimity in the closing bars between Andsnes and his orchestra says it all. Having used up my stash of superlatives, all I can say is: go buy".


International record review

2015 February

By

By

Stephen Pruslin

2015 February

"For me ... the real attraction of this release is the Choral Fantasy ... It is a highly original and unique work ... typical of Andsnes's enquiring mind to have included it here ... Andsnes's intelligence and originality manifest themselves right from the outset ... Recommended with great enthusiasm".


The gramophone

2006 awards

By

By

Rob Cowan (f. 1948)

2006 awards

"Vurdering: Editor's choice" - "The Tonhalle score top marks for teamwork, their woodwinds on a par with Europe's best ... Bronfman plays with a light, precise though never brittle touch, always phrasing elegantly and dipping his tone whenever important instrumental lines need to be heard ... Superbly balanced sound helps clinch an unmissable bargain".


High fidelity (Kbh.)

Årg. 41, nr. 4 (2008)

By

By

Mogens Wenzel Andreasen

Årg. 41, nr. 4 (2008)

"Det er fremragende. Kejserkoncerten er et uhyre krævende værk, men Pletnev kan det hele, og har husket den stilsans, han ikke altid har parat - jeg mindes med nogen gru hans indspilning af Mozart-sonater ... Vi får her ægte Beethoven med indlevelse fra både solists og dirigents side".


Jyllands-posten

d. 25. Apr. 2000

By

d. 25. Apr. 2000


Politiken

d. 30. Apr. 2000

By

d. 30. Apr. 2000


The gramophone

2020 March

By

By

Patrick Rucker

2020 March

"One of the choicest offerings thus far this celebratory Beethoven year ... Bezuidenhout has a long, fruitful relationship with Freiburg ... Add to the mix the lively imagination of Heras-Casado, the Freiburgers playing their hearts out, plus expert sound as clean as you're likely to come across in 2020, and you have the makings of a hot recording ... I doubt that Beethoven, at least recently, has sounded quite so original or so much fun".



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