Ludvig van Beethoven – Piano Concertos 2 & 5 (Kissin) [1997]

1. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 19/I. Allegro con brio 13:39
2. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 19/II. Adagio 9:10
3. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in B-flat Major, Op. 19/III. Rondo. Molto allegro 5:45
4. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73 "Emperor"/I. Allegro 20:56
5. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73 "Emperor"/II. Adagio un poco mosso (attacca) 9:10
6. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73 "Emperor"/III. Rondo. Allegro 9:52

Evgeny Kissin - piano 
Philharmonia Orchestra
James Levine - conductor

I am not a big fan of Evgeny Kissin or James Levine, although I respect both of their talents and impressive discographies. When I listen to Beethoven Piano Concertos, I tend to go for Kempff/Leitner (DG), Rubinstein/Leinsdorf (RCA), Barenboim/Klemperer (EMI), or Ashkenazy/Solti (Decca). But when I read in AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE's 2003 BEETHOVEN OVERVIEW of the excellence of this recording -I respect their reviewers' opinions - I checked it out on Amazon.com, and bought my own copy.

I'm very happy that I did. Levine sets tempos which are fresh and youthful, showing Beethoven as the young virtuoso. The Age of Enlightenment, an optimism that the world was getting better, a trend of the late 1700s/early 1800s, shines through in Kissin's and Levine's interpretations. We could really use this optimism in our current, post-9/11 age, even while facing facts about how things are.(This recording was made in 1997, if that's important to you). Kissin's virtuosity is secure and without question; if he doesn't plumb the depths of Beethoven's soul as say Backhaus, Edwin Fischer, or other pianists of a few generations ago have done, I can settle for the emphasis on youthful virtuosity.

Both Piano Concerto 2 (Beethoven's 1st completed piano concerto, but the 2nd to be published, dating from 1795) and the later "Emperor" Concerto (No. 5) benefit from Kissin's and Levine's interpretation. Pianist and conductor work as a team, and are in complete accord with one another. I recommend this, and would it be too much to hope for that Kissin and Levine record Beethoven's Piano Concertos 1,3,and 4 to make a complete cycle of all 5 Beethoven Piano Concertos? ---Alan Majeska, amazon.com

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