A great Beethoven Piano Concerto 3 ??

[Verena]

Solomon/Menges
Perahia/Haitink
Annie Fischer/Fricsay

I have a Moravec recorded with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic conducted by Imre Pallo which I really like. It was played live in 1983.

Did that Moravec recording ever appear on CD?

[George]

Thanks! I bet the Moiseiwitsch is great.

Ditto.

Here's a review from the Penguin Guide:

Moiseiwitsch's are performances of stature. The Emperor with Szell and the LPO comes from 1938 and long enjoyed classic status. The Third has had a favourable press in its new incarnation—and rightly so. Moiseiwitsch's playing in the slow movement is poetic and magisterial, and Ward Marston has returned to the original tapes rather than to the shellac dubbings, so the sound is exceptionally good for the period. Moiseiwitsch was hailed in the USA as 'a veritable aristocrat of the keyboard' but was underrated here in the 1950s. This CD leaves no doubts as to his wonderful pianism and his depth of insight.

(I really need to just go ahead and buy all of the volumes in that Naxos series already)

[Todd]

(I really need to just go ahead and buy all of the volumes in that Naxos series already)

That would be a good idea.  I have a big chunk of them, and I can't think of one dud.  That written, I can't say his recording of the Third is tip-top tier stuff.  More like second tier.

[mc ukrneal]

Serkin is one of my favorite pianists, another one I have to try. I'm relatively unfamiliar with Kovacevich - but I read good things about his Beethoven 5th concerto with Davis as well.

Serkin also did one on Telarc with the BSO/Ozawa. I've never heard this one, so don't know how it compares (but it was at Berkshire last I saw).

[dirkronk]

Solti is far from my favorite conductor, but he is rarely out of line when accompanying a soloist, and this is music that calls for more brio than subtlety anyway.

You may well be right about this, but the Ashkenazy/Solti Beethoven cycle has simply never done anything for me. It was the darling of audiophiles when it first came out, back in analog days, and it was frequently used to demo equipment at the hi-fi shop run by good friends of mine in the late '70s and through much of the '80s, but try as I might, I've never been able to warm up to the performances. (Same applies to the Solti Beethoven symphony cycle.) At this point, however, it's been at least a decade or more since I last tried to listen to their endeavors, and my taste has changed a bit in other ways, so perhaps it's time for me to revisit the recordings once more.

Meanwhile, I'll stick by my tried and true recommendations:

Annie Fischer/Fricsay. Back in my earliest days of concerto listening, when I thought I'd never be able to appreciate much of Beethoven's piano concerti beyond the Emperor and the 4th, this was THE performance that made me break through from "meh!" to "marvelous!" with the 3rd. Phrasing, pacing, interplay between soloist and orchestra, everything seems just right to my ears. And in its original LP format, it was paired with two Mozart rondos that were performed with equal warmth and, if anything, even greater beauty and affection...and the result was a profound appreciation for Annie Fischer's artistry (I was already aware of what Fricsay could do). Someone at DGG should really put these performances on a short list to be released on their Originals. Now, I can't expect you to necessarily react with the same gushing praise...my epiphany may not be your own...but since I put this performance at the top of my list, I figured you'd want to know why. By the way, I refer to the DGG studio recording, not the live 1957 performance on Palexa (I do have that one, it's just fine, but not at the same level as the DGG).

Once I made this breakthrough, I found other performances that I still like a great deal, and several have already been named: Solomon/Menges and Haskil/Markevitch, both superb. The early and still-hyphenated (Bishop-)Kovacevich with Davis is one I've known for decades--at least as long as the Ashkenazy/Solti--but whose felicities have only recently become more obvious to me. I'm very late to the performance of Perahia and Haitink...only recently bought a copy and have only listened once (!) and still need to hear it some more to evaluate fairly. Some of the "usual suspects" do an admirable job in their respective cycles (Fleisher/Szell, Gilels/Szell, Kempff/van Kempen) but not quite amazing enough to stand out over other contenders. There's a Rudolf Serkin version I like, too, but it's on vinyl and I'm not at home to check on who the conductor was (however, I know it wasn't Serkin's very late digital recording)...Bernstein? Ormandy?

Two that I wish I could gush about more: Richter and Gilels. I love both of these pianists, and both of them have done the 3rd on more than one occasion, but what I've heard seems "only" very good...possibly very, very good...and not what I consider great. Yes, I mentioned Gilels above, but his 3rds don't come close to the amazing 4th he did with Ludwig...alas! In similar fashion, I purchased the Moravec/Neumann on original vinyl 20-some years back, expecting the pianist to deliver chops similar to his very fine 4ths; instead, I found the performance quirky...and for some time, wasn't sure whether I liked it or not. However, at this point, it has survived multiple purges in my vinyl collection, so I guess I DO like it (quite a bit, actually)...but wouldn't recommend it as an only or primary choice.

And just to make sure that I maintain my membership in the curmudgeon's league, I'll warn against one version: Aimard/Harnoncourt. I held out great expectations for their cycle, as was greatly disappointed instead. YMMV, of course, but please do NOT buy before you try. 'Nuff said.

Cheers,

Dirk

[Philoctetes]

Another vote for Uchida - makes me even more curious..

I really can't recommend it enough. It's light, lively, crisp, bright; its' a very 'happy' Beethoven. Plus you get Sanderling and the Concertgebouw and the BRSO. I think its a can't miss set.

[Scarpia]

And just to make sure that I maintain my membership in the curmudgeon's league, I'll warn against one version: Aimard/Harnoncourt. I held out great expectations for their cycle, as was greatly disappointed instead. YMMV, of course, but please do NOT buy before you try. 'Nuff said.

Good thing I got my beloved copy before your warning was issued.   

[Mandryka]

What is the Lewis recording like?

I heard him do it this year in the proms and I thought it was pretty boring, but the CD may be good.

The problem I have with Annie Fischer (DG) that the whole world loves is that it's --  heavy.

[dirkronk]

Good thing I got my beloved copy before your warning was issued.   

Well, hey, Scarpia...if your copy is "beloved," then the warning was unnecessary!


Dirk

[George]

Serkin also did one on Telarc with the BSO/Ozawa. I've never heard this one, so don't know how it compares (but it was at Berkshire last I saw).

There's a reason that one is at Berkshire, while the Bernstein has been reissued on CD umpteen times.

[Mandryka]

That would be a good idea.  I have a big chunk of them, and I can't think of one dud.  That written, I can't say his recording of the Third is tip-top tier stuff.  More like second tier.

Two things elevate it. One is that he's a fine tonalist. The other is the Reinicke  cadenza, which I like a lot.

Backhaus plays the cadenza too , but not as well as BM.

[George]

Backhaus plays the cadenza aswell, but not as well.

Backhaus is great in the Beethoven concerti. I have the set on Decca.

[dirkronk]

Backhaus is great in the Beethoven concerti. I have the set on Decca.

True. I should have mentioned Backhaus myself...I assume you mean his stereo cycle with Schmidt-Isserstedt. Next to their Emperor, the 3rd may be the most attractive of their performances in that set.

Dirk

[Dancing Divertimentian]

Two that I wish I could gush about more: Richter and Gilels.

Yeah, I have Richter's studio DG and while the pianism I find to be very fine the orchestral backdrop is simply too weighty and sluggish for me (though altogether professional, however). Which is a shame as Richter's piano tone is wonderfully caught by DG's engineers. 

Although Richter's third with Ancerl has been recently reissued on Supraphon...might make up for the disappointing DG...

I purchased the Moravec/Neumann on original vinyl 20-some years back, expecting the pianist to deliver chops similar to his very fine 4ths; instead, I found the performance quirky...and for some time, wasn't sure whether I liked it or not. However, at this point, it has survived multiple purges in my vinyl collection, so I guess I DO like it (quite a bit, actually)...but wouldn't recommend it as an only or primary choice.

Interesting. Thanks for the information, dirk. Might have saved me from plunking down major $$$ if I ever encountered this disc...

[Dancing Divertimentian]

OOP, I think. 

Yes, seems to be OOP and totally obscure. But I bet that bloodhound nose of yours could sniff it out, George!

[Verena]

You may well be right about this, but the Ashkenazy/Solti Beethoven cycle has simply never done anything for me. It was the darling of audiophiles when it first came out, back in analog days, and it was frequently used to demo equipment at the hi-fi shop run by good friends of mine in the late '70s and through much of the '80s, but try as I might, I've never been able to warm up to the performances. (Same applies to the Solti Beethoven symphony cycle.) At this point, however, it's been at least a decade or more since I last tried to listen to their endeavors, and my taste has changed a bit in other ways, so perhaps it's time for me to revisit the recordings once more.

Meanwhile, I'll stick by my tried and true recommendations:

Annie Fischer/Fricsay. Back in my earliest days of concerto listening, when I thought I'd never be able to appreciate much of Beethoven's piano concerti beyond the Emperor and the 4th, this was THE performance that made me break through from "meh!" to "marvelous!" with the 3rd. Phrasing, pacing, interplay between soloist and orchestra, everything seems just right to my ears. And in its original LP format, it was paired with two Mozart rondos that were performed with equal warmth and, if anything, even greater beauty and affection...and the result was a profound appreciation for Annie Fischer's artistry (I was already aware of what Fricsay could do). Someone at DGG should really put these performances on a short list to be released on their Originals. Now, I can't expect you to necessarily react with the same gushing praise...my epiphany may not be your own...but since I put this performance at the top of my list, I figured you'd want to know why. By the way, I refer to the DGG studio recording, not the live 1957 performance on Palexa (I do have that one, it's just fine, but not at the same level as the DGG).

Once I made this breakthrough, I found other performances that I still like a great deal, and several have already been named: Solomon/Menges and Haskil/Markevitch, both superb. The early and still-hyphenated (Bishop-)Kovacevich with Davis is one I've known for decades--at least as long as the Ashkenazy/Solti--but whose felicities have only recently become more obvious to me. I'm very late to the performance of Perahia and Haitink...only recently bought a copy and have only listened once (!) and still need to hear it some more to evaluate fairly. Some of the "usual suspects" do an admirable job in their respective cycles (Fleisher/Szell, Gilels/Szell, Kempff/van Kempen) but not quite amazing enough to stand out over other contenders. There's a Rudolf Serkin version I like, too, but it's on vinyl and I'm not at home to check on who the conductor was (however, I know it wasn't Serkin's very late digital recording)...Bernstein? Ormandy?

Two that I wish I could gush about more: Richter and Gilels. I love both of these pianists, and both of them have done the 3rd on more than one occasion, but what I've heard seems "only" very good...possibly very, very good...and not what I consider great. Yes, I mentioned Gilels above, but his 3rds don't come close to the amazing 4th he did with Ludwig...alas! In similar fashion, I purchased the Moravec/Neumann on original vinyl 20-some years back, expecting the pianist to deliver chops similar to his very fine 4ths; instead, I found the performance quirky...and for some time, wasn't sure whether I liked it or not. However, at this point, it has survived multiple purges in my vinyl collection, so I guess I DO like it (quite a bit, actually)...but wouldn't recommend it as an only or primary choice.

And just to make sure that I maintain my membership in the curmudgeon's league, I'll warn against one version: Aimard/Harnoncourt. I held out great expectations for their cycle, as was greatly disappointed instead. YMMV, of course, but please do NOT buy before you try. 'Nuff said.

Cheers,

Dirk

Thanks so much, Dirk! Looking forward to checking out your recommendations..

[George]

Yes, seems to be OOP and totally obscure. But I bet that bloodhound nose of yours could sniff it out, George!

I'll see what I can do.  0:)

[Holden]

Did that Moravec recording ever appear on CD?

No, it was a private recording made at the concert and in surprisingly good sound when you consider it. I really like it despite not knowing the orchestra or conductor. I get the impression that Moravec can lift an ensemble by his presence and then lifts himself accordingly.

[johnshade]

Any comments on this recording?

[MichaelRabin]

Any comments on this recording?

Norman Lebrecht seems to like this CD. Check his Scena website out.