Beethoven: Triple Concerto

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Not many people know that Beethoven actually turned his one and only Violin Concerto into a piano concerto. Most critics and musical scholars have had a good time trashing the arrangement (what other opportunities do you get for dumping on Beethoven, after all?), but the fact is that it's no better or worse than any number of similar things that Bach did routinely, and it's fun to hear it once and a while. And one crucial element--the first-movement cadenza--has actually yielded valuable information to violinists regarding what Beethoven himself would have done with this theoretically improvised passage. Coupled with the not-quite-so-unknown Triple Concerto--both works are played with real eloquence by all concerned--here's a Beethoven disc that deserves a place in most collections. And at the Naxos price, this is a bargain in the best sense. --David Hurwitz

Beethoven: Sonaten opp. 101 & 106

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Piano Concertos Nos. 4 And 5 ("Emperor"): With Orchestral Reduction for Second Piano ("Emperor" : With Orchestral Reduction for

cover of Piano Concertos Nos. 4 And 5 (author: Ludwig van Beethoven
asin: 0486284425
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Features 2 widely performed concertos in authoritative 2-piano playing editions edited by Franz Kullak.

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas , vol. 2

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Paul Lewis's traversal of the Beethoven Piano Sonatas may just become one of the indispensable recorded versions of these unique works. He tackles the Hammerklavier without attacking it; his interest is textual clarity, and he never fails in that approach. If you listen to the last movement of No. 25, "Alla tedesco," you'll be amazed by the formality and forward propulsion which underpins the seeming merriment in the piece, the abrupt ending suddenly quite a puzzle. Similarly, the first movement of the Waldstein is imbued with a darkness that makes you think you're hearing much of it for the first time. Lewis's is a serious--some might say grave--approach to these works, but it is not heavy; indeed, his touch remains light when it ought to be, without making the music seem trivial. Each movement lets us in on another one of Beethoven's secrets, and the lyrical moments have never seemed lovelier. This is a very special set, highly recommended. --Robert Levine

Wilhelm Kempff 2

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Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Brahms: Double Concerto / Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Richter

cover of Great Recordings Of The Century - Beethoven: Triple Concerto; Brahms: Double Concerto / Oistrakh, Rostropovich, Richterasin: B00000I7VO
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Among the concertos of Beethoven and Brahms, these two have always been stepchildren. One reason is their extreme difficulty; both composers were pianists, so Beethoven wrote an idiomatic part only for the piano. Brahms's friend Joseph Joachim offered advice for the violin concerto, but not for the Double Concerto, which was written as a peace offering after a falling-out. The Beethoven Triple Concerto demands utmost virtuosity, as well as intimate teamwork among the soloists, and that is exactly what these three supreme masters of their instruments bring to it. Free--indeed unaware--of technical problems, they give it a joyful, sparkling lightness. The piano ripples, the cello sings gorgeously, the violin soars ecstatically, the tone is intoxicatingly beautiful. The Finale is wistful, charming, lyrical, gently humorous; the ending is a big joke, with the cello and piano rumbling in the bass, while the violin whistles forlornly in the dark until they all join together. The Brahms is grand, majestic, dreamy, radiant, triumphant; the slow movement warm as dark velvet, the Finale genial and relaxed. Though the orchestra never covers the soloists, it explodes in the tutti passages, especially in the Beethoven, so you might keep a finger on the volume control. --Edith Eisler

Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4; Triple Concerto

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Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 14, 21,23

cover of Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 14, 21,23asin: B0000041WK
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Complete Masterworks Recordings, 1962-1973

cover of Complete Masterworks Recordings, 1962-1973asin: B000002909
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It may surprise you to learn that, despite his untouchable reputation with the public, Vladimir Horowitz enjoyed a certain dubious reputation with the critics. For many, he was the epitome of the witless virtuoso, all technique and vulgar display, and no brains. There was some truth in this to the extent that he really could be variable on record, but by general consensus his Masterworks recordings show him at his absolute best. Aside from his famous Carnegie Hall concerts from 1965, you get stunning performances of music by Schumann, Haydn, Beethoven, Chopin, Scriabin, and above all, Scarlatti--the composer that Horowitz, more than anyone, put back on the map for pianists the world over. A great set. --David Hurwitz