Search - Johannes Brahms, Richard Strauss, George Szell :: Piano Concerto 2

Masterfull chemistry at the service of brahms

demien | U.S.A. | 06/11/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Serkin and Szell had a chemistry that resulted in interpretations that transformed the listener into that composers world. This dedication was not at the service of their egos but to the composer. This recording represents this kind of miracle. The first movement conveys feelings of passion,contentment,and triumph. The second movement conveys feelings of a struggle and fight. This is music representing humankinds challenge to face and triumph over our adversaries. The movement ends in a explosion of victory. The third movement represents a feeling of loneliness and longing. A wish from the heart to fill that void within. The fourth movement represents complete contentment and joy. Serkin and Szell bring forth each movement with a combination of intellect and heart. Precision of ensemble and dedication to the composers magnificent score are in sync. This is one of the greatest interpretations alongside Richter/leinsdorf and barenboim/barbirolli. This recording transforms us into another world and for a moment our troubles are non-existent."

My all time favorite Brahms PC #2.

Jeffrey Lee | Asheville area, NC USA | 01/26/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The years come and go and I still find this performance by Rudolf Serkin and George Szell the most satisfying Brahms Second Piano Concerto I've ever experienced. Serkin simply exhibits an expressive rightness with textures, rhythms and overall dynamics. He is matched dead on by Szell and his Clevelanders who reveal in glowing fashion Brahms' colorful and rich sonorities. Together, conductor and pianist combine to offer a near ideal sense of musical synergy. Moments like the opening passage for horn and the wonderful cello theme of the third movement are rendered in an exalted, sensitive manner. A style of rapt play is particularly noteworthy in that third movement where Serkin and Szell's strong yet melodic approach project a canvas of tonal splendor. In the final movement, the feel for Brahmsian rhetoric is maintained, with tempos and the rhapsodic element flowing nicely right to the emphatic final chords. One of the classic interpretations of the Brahms literature.The Strauss Burleske, more of a semi-bravura piece, which sounds like a composition for the cinema, is well played by Serkin, Ormandy and the Philadelphians, however I would have preferred Szell's take on Brahms' Academic Festival Overture, or perhaps one of Dvorak's colorful overtures...A final note: The same performance of the Brahms Second Piano Concerto with Serkin/Szell is available, by itself, on Sony's Great Performances series at a higher price. Though the sound on that disc is fine, that provided on this Sony Essential Classics disc is marginally more alive. But, if you want to judge for yourself, simply listen to Amazon's excerpts from each and compare them."

De lo mejor...

felipe | Chile | 12/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"George Szell un gran director no tan popular, ya saben desplazado por la fama de Bernstein y Karajan, que realizo grabaciones impecables de las mejores obras de la musica clasica.

El concierto N°2 es solemne, sutil, imponente, vigoroso y muy afectivo, notaran ese impresionante preimer movimiento donde la orquesta sutilmente suena dando la partida a un piano sutil, pero de a poco va ganando fuerza y nos encontramos de pronto en medio de una majestuosidad pocas veces escuchada es de verdad un inicio grandioso de ahi todo es genial.

La interpretacion de Serkin es sorprendente, se esmera para hacernos vibrar, es delicado y pulcro, y tambien virtuoso y energico. Serkin tiene un sinnumero de grabaciones asi lo pueden disfrutar en Piano concerto N°5 emperador con Bernstein, Mendelssohn piano concertos 1 y 2, Schumann Koncerstuck(Ormandy)y muchas otras mas como Mozart o Beethoven.

Añadimos a este CD Burleske una versatl pieza musical de Strauss que sobresale por su innovadora tematica y por la genial interpretacion de Serkin y Ormandy.

Asi disfruten de un CD incomparable con un concierto soberbio, imperdible."