DiscountDelight - Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1
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List Price: $16.98
Our Price: $11.41
Your Save: $ 5.57 ( 33% )
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Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
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Average Customer Rating: 
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0028947754138
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon
Publisher: Deutsche Grammophon
Release Date: 2006-04-04
Studio: Deutsche Grammophon
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: Another fine interpretation, among many
Comment: If you are a collector of different versions of this monumental opus by Brahms, this will be a welcome addition. No complaints from me regarding the performance or recording. However.... if you are a 'newbie' please listen also to the recordings that George Szell made with Leon Fleischer and also Rudolph Serkin, both readily available. There's an undercurrent in Szell's orchestral interpretations that catches the (barely) restrained turmoil and wildness that gripped the youthful composer. Despite it's reputation as one of the craggy peaks in the concerto repertoire, this work contains long passages of dreamlike delicacy along with tumultuous episodes.Achieving a balance between the two seems to be a tricky proposition, and that's why it's worth having a number of recorded versions.Simon Rattle's effort with Andsnes has a fine interpretation by the soloist, but to these ears, is not a great recording. This current offering by Rattle and Zimerman may be great....time will tell.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Fantastic interpretation and sound acoustics. As good or better than Emil Gilels' 1972 version.
Comment: Of course, Krystian Zimerman's new 2004 recording of Concerto #1 will invite inevitable comparisons to the classic Emil Gilels 1972 version (B000001GQY). They are both on the same label (Deutsche Grammophon) and the same orchestra (Berliner Philharmoniker). The Gilels disc is listed among "Gramaphon 100 Greatest Recordings"; a lofty standard to measure up to.
In terms of musicianship+performance, I think the Zimerman/Rattle rendition is equal to the Gilels/Jochum. In terms of sound, I have a slight preference for Zimerman because the piano tone is fuller and the orchestra has a deeper sound.
However, if you've grown up with the Gilels' recording as a sentimental favorite, this Zimerman version probably won't unseat it. But for people new to this concerto, I think most would choose Zimerman. The Gilels' package has more music (2 CDs including Concerto #2,etc) and costs more. Both versions are enjoyable--get both if you can.
Btw, don't use Amazon's sound samples to make critical comparisons between the two. Amazon folds the stereo recordings to mono and the severe data compression destroys the subtleties of the two recordings. Amazon's sound samples can be helpful for ballpark detective work (is this music Bach or Mozart?! is this live or studio version?!); they're not so good for fine-tuning your selection between two very similar recordings.
The liner notes say Zimerman listened to 80+ versions of Concerto #1 to help determine tempo and presentation. If so, I'm puzzled why the booklet doesn't mention Gilels' recording (remember it's also Deutsche Grammophon). I'm sure it was one of the 80+ that Zimerman studied---it would have been insightful to get his opinion of it.
If DeutscheGrammophon's intention was to freshen their catalog's Concerto #1 with a new definitive reference recording, they have succeeded.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 to Vie with the Best
Comment: In this very fine new release the great numbers of fine recordings of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 have stiff competition! Though doubtless we each have our 'favorite' recording of this mighty piece, take note that this is one performance that should be added to everyone's library.
Krystian Zimerman plays like a man possessed - not demonically, though he does know how to plumb those depths, but as a pianist who innately understands the grand architecture of this work. He produces more sound from the piano than is reasonably possible and yet in the lyrical second movement he literally reduces his tone to a whisper. His technique and his interpretation are wondrous.
Sir Simon Rattle conducts the Berlin Philharmonic with not only a romantic fervor but also a keen ear for communication with the soloist. Not knowing how many times these two fine artists have collaborated, it would seem that they have performed this work frequently to gain such a unified approach.
The acoustic of the recording is excellent technically, giving all the more reason to applaud this very superb new recording. Recommended without hesitation. Grady Harp, May 06
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Summary: Spellbinding
Comment: Sir Simon, the Berliner Philharmoniker and the best pianist around - all on DG - what more can you ask for?
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Summary: Shivers!!!
Comment: The first mvmt actually sent shivers down my spine, something that has not happened to me while listeing to this work in a long time. I believe Zimerman to be one of the, if not the, most relieable virtuso in classic music today, and this disc was beyond the high expectations I had already set. But it wasnt Zimerman's playing that sent shivers through me, it was an orchestral moment, superbly played by Rattle. His pacing is slow and full bodied, letting the music's powerful energy accumulate till it almost explodes, actually, it does explode making this the single most exciting Brahms first I have ever heard. I cannot think of a concerto that is so wholly dependent on its orchestral part to be a success, and this is just another example of how Rattle is, despite my earlier reservations, completely in control of his vocation. I think this is the most successful thing he has eever done. Esp the first mvmt.
Regarding Zimerman, this disc couldnt be more different than his previous Rach 1 & 2 disc. Most likely it is due to Rattle, but he seems as excited and committed as I have heard him, while the Rach, though very good, seemed to be very inhibited and at times almost boorish. For any Brahms lovers out there, this disc is a must, and hopefully you will hear what I did which gave me those feelings I had while listening to this works wonders for the first time. Not to be missed!
Ref-Fleisher\Szell
Of interest-Arrau's tone in his first on the anniv box.
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Editorial Reviews:
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Brahms’ First Piano Concerto is an early work bristling with energy and ambition. This is a concerto of scope, complexity, and expressive power and the best performances capture some of its tragic grandeur and forceful intensity. Those qualities are found in abundance in rival versions by Fleisher-Szell, Curzon-Szell, and Gilels-Jochum, among other worthy interpretations. Alongside those, this one pales, but the artists’ many fans will want to hear for themselves how a distinguished Brahmsian like Zimerman and an equally distinguished accompanist like Rattle see this work. They will be rewarded by a thoughtful performance that veers stylistically between a classical reading and a Romantic one. This approach that has some validity if joined to rhythmic alertness and fiery music-making. But Rattle’s tendency to clip phrase endings and make frequent tempo adjustments drains tension, while Zimerman tends to eschew legato and slights more-idiomatic, longer-lined phrasing. The Andante suffers more than the outer movements in this regard; only intermittently do the performers approach Brahms’ core, while those mentioned above play with the full-bodied tone and passion this great concerto demands. -- Dan Davis
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