Search - Edvard Grieg, Robert Schumann, Andre Previn :: Grieg, Schumann: Piano Concertos / Radu Lupu, André Previn

Outstanding performances for both concertos

pm444 | Okemos, MI USA | 09/02/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Radu Lupu, the famously reclusive virtuoso, gives thrilling perfomances of these two concertos, so often paired on LP and CD. The only other recording that comes close is Kristian Zimerman with von Karajan on DG; sonically, it is marginally superior, and Zimerman's flawless technical skill and emotional intensity are beyond reproach. But there's something almost indefinable about Lupu's playing, a sort of barely-controlled passion, that puts his recording in a class by itself. Like Zimerman, he negotiates the most difficult passages with ease, not only hitting the right notes, but giving them just enough of a new interpretation to make you sit up and take notice.But he goes further, playing familiar phrases and entire passages so that the listener hears the notes more clearly than usual, and he doesn't just do this during the big, dramatic moments. It's more than just engineering or recording balances: Lupu plays the notes with a strength that you can hear, while never seeming to hammer them out. Perhaps it's this combination of powerful playing and extreme sensitivity to the music itself that makes his performances so memorable. Whatever the case, this is a recording you can listen to over and over, each time discovering something you had not heard before, and each time marveling at the sheer beauty of the playing."

Decca delivers

Judah Adashi | Baltimore, MD USA | 04/03/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Decca's "Legendary Performances" line continues to mine the impressive depths of the label's back-catalogue, re-issuing timeless gems from its archival vaults. Radu Lupu has already been featured once in this series, with a poetic rendition of the Schubert Impromptus D. 899 and D. 935 from 1983 (Decca 460975). Lupu is notoriously reclusive, with both performances and recordings often few and far between. As a result, his albums are never disappointing, always enlightening, and often brilliant. This impressive disc, initially released on LP in 1973, is no exception. Lupu brings new insight to bear on these staples of the concerto repertoire, delivering the requisite virtuosity, as well as a keen sense of the finer nuances necessary to a truly well-rounded account of these masterworks. The London Symphony under Andre Previn gives a compelling performance in the excellent acoustics of Kingsway Hall; Decca's digital remastering process vividly underscores the palpable energy of the original session. Lupu is a prodigious talent: his recordings are veritable treasures, without which any collection of piano music is unquestionably incomplete."

My favorite recording of Schumann's Concerto in A minor

kalyson | Sacramento, CA USA | 04/14/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I purchased five or six recordings of Schumann's piano concerto in A minor before finding this one. I didn't like the tempo or phrasing in the others, but this one seemed perfect. I thought that the version with Cecile Ousset (Marriner/Masur) was pretty good, but the mixing/recording process must have been flawed because the piano was not recorded at a high enough relative volume. But this recording is the best I've heard anywhere."