Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Ferruccio Busoni, Frederic Chopin :: Alfred Brendel in Recital: Live and Radio Performances, 1968-2001

Brendel At His Pensive, Lyrical Best Across The Span Of Thre

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 07/29/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Personally selected by Alfred Brendel, these hitherto unreleased recordings span approximately three decades of his career as a concert and recording artist. With the sole exception of the very first piece on Disk Two, which was recorded at the BBC's London studios, all of these recordings were made in the period from the late 1980s to early 2000 in concert halls, primarily London's Royal Festival Hall, from live concert performances. The sound quality is quite fine, even for the early vintage analogue stereo recording from the late 1960s, due to the excellent work of several teams of BBC sound engineers. However, virtually every piece ends with an extended round of an applause which I find rather excessive, especially when the applause lasts nearly thirty seconds.



Without question, this is a compelling two CD disk set which will greatly interest long-time fans, other admirers, and those who are simply curious about Brendel's superb artistry at the keyboard. The first disk is devoted to a compelling, often quite, exciting, interpretation of Beethoven's Diabelli Variations in a performance that should be remembered for offering both ample instances of elegant, often pensive, and lyrical playing. Brendel is convinced that this may be his best recording of the variations ever committed to disk, and it is a memorable performance that ought to hold its own against those from peers like Pollini. The second disk is both a chronological and muscial odyssey, opening with an old studio recording of Chopin pieces, followed by an obscure Mendelssohn work and two vivid, all too brief, Busoni pieces. At the very end of the second disk is one of the best performances I have heard of Beethoven's 28th Piano Sonata, which, again, Brendel believes is superior to his most recent Philips studio recording."

Terrific

David Saemann | 07/17/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The real prize in this set is the Diabelli Variations, taped live at Royal Festival Hall in 2001, when Brendel was 70. It is a large scale interpretation of the work, with a wide dynamic range and tempos that are never as fast as one might have heard on a fortepiano. Brendel inhabits each of the variations with a lifetime of musical experience that brings out all kinds of detail and shading. I like Ashkenazy's performance, too, for its greater forward momentum, but Brendel's realizes Beethoven's vision to a degree that I think is unsurpassed. The Chopin is very good, although it is a rather tubby sounding monaural recording. The Mendelssohn is a beautiful rendition, full of atmosphere and gravitas, although the sound engineering is rather cloudy. I enjoyed the two Busoni pieces, which were new to me. The performance of Beethoven's 28th Sonata, in beautiful 1992 sound from Birmingham's Symphony Hall, is measured and stately, though not necessarily superior to, if better recorded than, Brendel's Vox recording. This set gave me great pleasure. As with Brendel's Beethoven Concertos with Levine and his Salzburg CD, there is much to be gained from hearing Brendel live, and the pianist promises a future release in his program note."