SearchsearchUseruser

Brahms: Piano Concertos 1-2 - Brendel, Schmidt-Isserstedt, Haitink, Abbado

Brahms: Piano Concertos 1-2 - Brendel, Schmidt-Isserstedt, Haitink, Abbado

Tower Universal Vintage  PROC-2408 (2 discs)

Stereo Hybrid

Classical - Orchestral


Alfred Brendel (piano)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt & Bernard Haitink
London Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado

Support this site by purchasing from these vendors using the paid links below.
As an Amazon Associate HRAudio.net earns from qualifying purchases.

 
 
 
 

Add to your wish list | library

 

2 of 2 recommend this, would you recommend it?  yes | no

All
show
Recording
show
hide
Analogue recording
Comments (2)
show
hide

Comment by Contrapunctus - September 21, 2024 (1 of 2)

I bought this double SACD for several reasons. I love the sound of the Concertgebouw Orchestra in its concert hall, especially recordings from the 60s and 70s. I also enjoy Alfred Brendel’s somewhat introverted, contemplative, and romantic playing style. The two piano concertos sound wonderful to me, even though they are conducted by different conductors. I particularly like the balance between the piano and the orchestra; the piano is seamlessly integrated into the overall soundscape, which is not always a given. This good balance also allows you to fully enjoy the individual orchestral sections. This is Concertgebouw-Philips sound at its best! The interpretations of the Brahms concertos are characterized by relatively slow tempos due to Brendel’s more contemplative approach, which reveals unusual structures and details in some places. You can tell that Brendel structures and shapes the piano part very consciously. If you’re looking for great virtuosity and keyboard lions, you might want to steer clear of these recordings.

I’ve really grown fond of these recordings in a very short time. Since I’m generally not a fan of virtuosity and fast tempos, this album ranks high on my “Brahms Piano Concerto Hit List.” I would definitely prefer Brendel over Pollini here (interestingly, both have recorded the piano concertos with two different conductors: Brendel with Schmidt-Isserstedt & Haitink; Pollini with Böhm & Abbado).

Comment by Longjohns and Wifebeaters - September 21, 2024 (2 of 2)

Later on they (Brendel and Pollini) both went to Abbado to record both of the concertos with him & BPO.

Says something.