Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Alfred Brendel, Chicago Symphony Orchestra :: Beethoven: Complete Piano Concertos (Alfred Brendel: Piano Concertos 1-5 w/Levine, CSO; "Choral" Fantasy, Op. 80 w/ Haitink, LPC, LPO)

Brendel as his fans love him (but not everybody else)

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 10/29/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I think the general acclaim given to this set of Beethoven concertos here on Amazon is atypical: the critical consensus isn't high for Brendel's 1983 set. Certainly he shows more interest in the later one with Rattle on EMI. If you love Brendel already, then his rather clipped, non-romantic way with these works will seem suitably classic and thoughtful -- his admirers make a virtue of this pianist's restraint and absence of passion and originality. But of Beethoven the revolutionary there's not much evidence. Tempos are generally fast, and in the earlier concertos the mood is closer to Mozart than I like. Where's the blood and fire? Levine provides a sometimes impatient acccompaniment, and neither artist cares to pause over phrases that cry out for more depth. Add to this a fairly thin, pingy piano sound, and I'm afraid there are too many debits compared to the great performances by Gieseking, Edwin Fischer, Rudolf Serkin, Fleisher, Barenboim (with Klemperer on EMI), and many others."

Great performances

Matt | Virginia | 01/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you gave me a choice of any pianist playing these concertos, I'd take Pollini and Rubinstein. However, these recordings are a BIG part of any serious classical music library. Brendel, as always, offers top rate Beethoven interpretations and performances. I particularly enjoyed the second and third piano concertos."