Thread: Best piano concerto?

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Post by seth March 7, 2010 (11 of 30)
Brahms: Piano Concertos - Fleisher/Szell/Cleveland
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No.4 - Fleisher/Szell/Cleveland
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 21, 23 & 27 - Bilson/Gardiner/EBS
Gershwin: Piano Concerto - no favorite performance

Post by Daland March 8, 2010 (12 of 30)
Brahms 2
Beethoven 3,4
Mozart 21,27
Grieg
Chopin 1

Post by Windsurfer March 8, 2010 (13 of 30)
Bartok 1, 2 and 3 Zoltan Kocis on Hungarton

Prokofiev 1, 2, 3 best performances remain to be seen but right now Sudbin, I think.

Brahms #1, 2 The recording that would best serve these concertos has yet to be made. I heard Helene Grimaud play concerto #1 with the NHK Symphony directed by Ashkenazy. What a shame SoundMirror was not there to record it because that, my friends was a performance to remember.

Mozart #24 comes immediately to mind but 25 and 22 are also great.

Beethoven #5 Horowitz / Reiner although the recording (mono) is now laughable, and I am sure misrepresents what the performance sounded like. (It lionizes Horowitz) but in the Emperor, that may not have been a bad thing.

I heard Pollini play that with the BSO not so long ago and though my seat was fairly up close, Pollini didn't have the sound needed to make it all convincing. I was surprised, because we were in Symphony Hall, not Tanglewood where that sort of experience is commonplace.

Mozart's concertos K 414, K453 K466 are very special to me as well as Saint Saens concerti.

I recommend Helmchen for #13 and 24 on PentaTone, and Zacharias (MDG) for the others. #9 deserves mention here and certainly Alfred Brendel's Philips recording is the one to go for if you can get it.

The Saint Saens concerti are very well represented on Audite with Malikova/Sanderling and the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln.

Post by hiredfox March 8, 2010 (14 of 30)
xavster said:

Agree - Beethoven 5. Stephen Kovacevich recording with Colin Davis from the 60s on Philips. Shame it wasn't a quad recording....

Totally agree with your choice. There are two versions by Kovacevich and they run each other very close.

Post by deckerm March 8, 2010 (15 of 30)
Rach 3
Tchaik 1
Grieg
Hummel 1

Post by krisjan March 8, 2010 (16 of 30)
Don't know if it is the "best" but it is probably the longest: F. Busoni's piano concerto in C, Op.39. 70+ minutes and it includes a male chorus in the finale. A massive and interesting late romantic work. Would be nice to have it in a good performance on SACD but I'm not holding my breath.

Post by trntbl March 8, 2010 (17 of 30)
Small list of concertos I frequently listen to. Some of them materpieces, some neglected masterpieces.

Mozart KV488 - Curzon or Gulda
Beethoven 4 - several favourites, Curzon always strong with viennese classics
Brahms 1 - Sokolov (radio broadcast)
Prokofiev 2 - Gutierrez, but new Kissin and Kempf (SACD) also respectable
Rachmaninov 1 - Richter or Andsnes for modern sound
Medtner 1&2 - Zhukov or Sudbin (SACD)
Shostakovich 1&2 - Hamelin (SACD), his best recrding IMO
Strauss Burleske - Richter, no contest here
Poulenc Aubade - same as above

Kristian

Post by hiredfox March 9, 2010 (18 of 30)
Windsurfer said:

The Saint Saens concerti are very well represented on Audite with Malikova/Sanderling and the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln.

They are but Peter Hough's RB set on Hyperion may never be beaten for artistic interpretation.

Post by darkroommd March 9, 2010 (19 of 30)
TCHAIKOVSKY 1
- In response to earlier post, I also like Sudbin. Sparkling technique, interesting yet not jarring interpretation. However, I actually prefer a slower, more dramatic style for this piece: Barry Douglas with Leonard Slatkin and LSO (RCA Red Seal).

BRAHMS 1
- We still need a good *new* recording on SACD.
- I like Kovacevich with Wolfgang Swallisch and LPO (EMI).

BRAHMS 2
- Still awaiting an SACD version to my liking. I absolutely do NOT like Hamelin's dominant but unfeeling performance.
- Long time favorite, after hearing him in concert, is Emanuel Ax with Bernard Haitink and Boston SO (Sony).

RACHMANINOV 2
- SACD: Hough/Litton. Spectacular performance, if you can forgive the sonics.
- Otherwise, I like Ashkenazy with Andre Previn and LSO.

HONORABLE MENTION
- Mozart 19, 20, 21. Murray Perahia cannot be beat here.
- Beethoven 3, 4, 5.
- Rachmaninov 3, Rhapsody.
- Saint Saens 2.

Post by TerraEpon March 9, 2010 (20 of 30)
hiredfox said:

They are but Peter Hough's RB set on Hyperion may never be beaten for artistic interpretation.

That would be STEPHEN Hough.

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