"For those who want to one-stop-shop for Barber's three solo concerti, it doesn't get much better than this disc.
Conductor Leonard Slatkin has a firm sense of the overall pulse in Barber's music; he rivals Marin Alsop in not allowing drama to overshadow lyricism. With Slatkin we take time to smell the flowers but know we're not going to be abandoned in the meadow to find our own way home, as I occasionally feel about Marin Alsop's performances on Naxos (as fine as those traversals are otherwise).
Pianist John Browning practically owned the Piano Concerto throughout his career. Barber wrote it for him, and no one has yet come close to his authority or understood it as fully. Even if he is competing against his much younger self, what this performance lacks in sheer adrenaline compared to the première recording with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra is more than made up for in a nourishing chiaroscuro of intrigue and sultry seduction.
Like Browning in the Piano Concerto, Kyoko Takezawa understates the overall thrust of the Violin Concerto with a sighing, sweetly smiling beguilement and some surprises at the more explosive moments. Everything feels totally intuitive, improvisatory and rapt, with Slatkin following his soloist with the utmost flexibility and sensitivity. Move over, Stern and Bernstein - you have some serious competition!
No less impressive are Slatkin and Steven Isserlis in a persuasive and impassioned Cello Concerto - the least known of Barber's three concertos and, while a piece that never fully came together for the composer, one not deserving its relative neglect. Wendy Warner, Marin Alsop and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra gamely hold their own on Naxos, with the spaciousness and allowance for drama to unfold on its own terms even while highlighting. Isserlis and Slatkin are no less mindful of this work's (and Barber's overall) inherent songfulness, but with a more overtly outgoing attitude and tighter rein on Barber's occasional tendency to wander, their performance is at least as approachable and perhaps more engaging.
If you have no other Barber in your collection -- except perhaps for the Adagio for Strings, which turns up everywhere -- make sure that you have this disc.
"
THE to-get Barber disc
Samuel Stephens | TN, USA | 08/27/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I became a huge Barber fan earlier this year, and I own all his most significant works over a span of six discs. Some repeats.
Someone had loaned me the Violin Concerto with Barber/Stern team-up...honestly it didn't strike me as remotely interesting even after three listens. I got this however, and I now accept the Barber Violin Concerto for the great masterpiece it is. Part of the reason this one worked better was the fact that this disc has all of Barber's concertos...except the Capricorn Triple concerto. And the reason that helped was because the Piano Concerto is so good,, that it helped turn me toward the other two concertos.
Fully recommmended. As good as youll find with all three on one disc!"
A disc of profound emotion
L. Borcherding | Tacoma WA USA | 10/31/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"On this disc are three concertos of the composer Samual Barber, one for violin, for cello, and for piano. They're amazing concertos of outstanding emotion. The violin concerto starts out with such a tender and nostalgic theme, you'll have to fight back tears. Its a joy to listen to.The second movement is similar, but the third movment takes a turn towards virtuosity and syncopated rythems that keep you on the edge of your seat and give a satisfying contrast after two sweet, emotional movements.
The Cello Concerto shows a darker side of the composer,but no less lyrical. This piece isnt so much sad, but more passionate with a kind of mystierouis quality about it. The Piano concerto is the least lyrical out of the three. Its more angular and modern sounding,esspecially in the finale where the time signature is the irregular 5/4. But in no way is it less great than the other 2 concertos. All the preformers are very talented and Lenard Stalkin is a great conductor for it."
Oh My - This disc is a stunner!
John Keating | 05/13/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Everyone enjoys Barber's Adagio for Strings because it is beautiful. This cd shows Barber's music to be evocative on so many levels it's simply amazing. The Violin Concerto is simply a collage of musical delights - emotionally - a rollercoaster ride where once it's over, you zip back in line to ride again - wow! I am unfamilar with the violinist Kyoko Takezawa - I won't be anymore! Simply superb playing - jaw dropping beauty. I especially enjoy the third movement - just blistering - every note distinct! I am not sure I can convey how magical the last movement is here musically - it just is that: magical.
Personally, I enjoyed the Cello Concerto. Still, it did not move me as did the Violin Concerto. Please don't let my personal feelings regarding the selections be misconstrued to mean this isn't a cd worth owning - it is definitely worth a purchase.
The Piano Concerto is also very, very moving - this is a grest way to bring the cd to a close. This was the correct way to present the selections. Open the cd with a stunner - followed by beauty - ending in a sparkling display of virtouso piano playing, orchstral precision, with just a pinch of pizaz and you have a recipe for sublime. I rated this cd 5 stars. My review simply cannot measure how good this cd really is - I have already listened to it three times and I will go back to it again and again. Isn't this the highest praise one can bestow on a cd?
The cd takes you on an odyssey of the heart and mind. The musical journey is worth the price of admission. Tickets, Get your tickets here...
"
Review of the Piano Concerto Only
B. R. Merrick | 05/31/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Based on the way it's performed here, I'd rank this as one of the greatest, if not THE greatest, piano concerto of the twentieth century. Barber is in full, violent, neo-romantic force with this composition. John Browning is matched at every turn by Slatkin's interpretation. I am still amazed at the bass sonorities on this recording. The piano sounds as if it's coming straight out of thundering skies.
The opening solo theme is strong and definitive, but just wait for the orchestra to enter with its own powerful statement. Both the first and third movements end with the appropriate amount of passionate force. The central movement is a wonderful contrast to the tempests surrounding it, and both soloist and orchestra play with great sensitivity.
Everything about this recording is worth hearing. I can't imagine needing more than this."