Brahms 3/1st Piano Concerto live Barbican 29/10/13 LGO/Chailly

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Is he assuming Alfred Brendel's mantle? Please discuss!

No; I think he's got a made-to-measure mantle all his own. If there is a link to a previous generation's pianist, then I find it closer to Pollini - the passion for New Music as well as the "standard" repertoire; the intellectual passion that some listeners find "too cold", but which burns with an intensity that cuts through titanium for those of us who "get" it. (I've used "passion" twice - I think it needs to be emphasized that this is as essential a part of his Musicianship as the "intellectual" epithet).

But Aimard is entirely his own man - and how grateful I am to have heard all three great pianists.

[amateur51]

No; I think he's got a made-to-measure mantle all his own. If there is a link to a previous generation's pianist, then I find it closer to Pollini - the passion for New Music as well as the "standard" repertoire; the intellectual passion that some listeners find "too cold", but which burns with an intensity that cuts through titanium for those of us who "get" it. (I've used "passion" twice - I think it needs to be emphasized that this is as essential a part of his Musicianship as the "intellectual" epithet).

But Aimard is entirely his own man - and how grateful I am to have heard all three great pianists.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

It sounds from you description that Aimard knew what he wanted to achierve which was something that I always got from a Brendel performance. Others will disagree, I'm sure because such intellectual determinism seems to them antithetical to artistic inspiration but that's horses for courses I guess.

I'm glad you said this, ami - because I've often wondered if this might be the case: some sort of strange bifurcation of "emotion" and "intellect" that insists that "Art" (and especially Music and Music-making) is somehow sullied by an "excess" of the latter.

[edashtav]

No; I think he's got a made-to-measure mantle all his own. If there is a link to a previous generation's pianist, then I find it closer to Pollini - the passion for New Music as well as the "standard" repertoire; the intellectual passion that some listeners find "too cold", but which burns with an intensity that cuts through titanium for those of us who "get" it. (I've used "passion" twice - I think it needs to be emphasized that this is as essential a part of his Musicianship as the "intellectual" epithet).

.

Many thanks for these thoughts, edashtav

It sounds from you description that Aimard knew what he wanted to achierve which was something that I always got from a Brendel performance. Others will disagree, I'm sure because such intellectual determinism seems to them antithetical to artistic inspiration but that's horses for courses I guess.

Two fine responses - thanks.
You're right, ferney, to emphasise Aimard's uniqueness and to differentiate him from Brendel. I do like your analogy with Pollini, and (annoyed) wish that I'd invoked it since it's a closer to what I was feeling.

Turning to Am's fined-honed phrase "intellectual determinism seems anthithetical to artistic inspiration" - is it not true that such distrust of the intellect is more predominant amongst British folk than those abroad? Whatever the impact of the "me" generation, intellectuals remain largely honoured in France, for example.

Is it more acceptable in Britain to talk of Aimard, Brendel, Pollini, Rosen et al. as "philosopher" musicians, I wonder?

I missed the Brendel / Tennstedt Prom performance of Brahms D minor but I have friends who regard as their touchstone.

I may have under-praised Chailly's contribution last night - whilst the orchestra played wonderfully, its string-puller was sensitive to Aimard's concepts but added his own in a marvellously complementary manner. I feel that accompanying sorts the finest conductors from those who are good but intransigent.

[Andrew Preview]

if you share my view you will own the finest set of Brahms symphonies of the digital age, possibly of all time.

Extremely high praise from PaulT. I've been streaming some of this set, and particularly enjoyed the performances of 3 and 4. But I have strong attachments to Abbado in the third and to Kleiber in the fourth, so I've resisted the temptation so far to splash out. The first symphony didn't quite click with me - I like the music to have a bit more room to breathe in the finale. I could be tempted by an outstanding account of the second, but, on first listen, I prefer Jurowski's balance of classical clarity and lyrical warmth, so that's probably next up on my shopping list.

[slarty]

I still have the BBC broadcast tape of the september 1989 concert from the Berliner Festwochen which amounted to Abbado's audition concert. He programmed Brahms 3 as the only work in the second half (Schumann piano Co. with Pollini was in the first half along with the Brahms Song of Destiny, I think). Very rarely does this symphony get the chance to stand up for itself as the other three do. It certainly makes a difference to hear it thus. I wish more conductors (or promoters) would try it. The symphony seems to take on more gravitas with the orchestra fully in swing having played a full first half.
It is still my favorite Third of the stereo age, Furtwängler still comes first. However this performance interested me enough to think about the new Brahms set.
I tend to sway towards Kleiber, as does Mr Preview, and for the second symphony? Barbirolli!
The Piano Concerto was a very fine reading. My favourite among recent recordings is the Pollini-Thielemann.
Disappointing to see that the BBC are only broadcasting this concert from the cycle. At least they could have offered us the concert with the 2nd Piano Co. as well.

[jayne lee wilson]

The very fine Helsingborg/Manze set of the Brahms Symphonies on CPO (2012) includes an outstanding 3rd. Freshly read, made new, but not shockingly radical. Lovely sound too. Shame if I'm the only one who bought it rahnd 'ere... (reviewed IRR 4/2012 by Prof Simeone aka..)