Beethoven Ozawa Argerich - a surprise

[Barbirollians]

I have only just caught up with this release of Beethoven Piano Concerto No 1 coupled with the First Symphony with the Mito Chamber Orchestra conducted by Ozawa.

Due to her limited repertoire there now seem to be a myriad of accounts by Argerich of this concerto and this is another cracker albeit in the slow movement she does not quite get the superbly empathetic support she received from the Manchester Camerata and Takacs Nagy the other year at the Manchester Piano Festival.

The surprise is the terrific account of the First - lively tempi, small orchestra , fab woodwind and hard sticks on the timpani . Even ultra HIPPites might like it .

[Serial_Apologist]

Certainly a surprise, not having previously realised those to be Beethoven's other names!

[jayne lee wilson]

I streamed this vis Qobuz HiFi a few weeks ago.
Enjoyable certainly, and fine-sounding - though I felt it didn't quite live up to the Gramophone reviewer's superlatives...!

So it wasn't the must-buy I thought it might be....

[Barbirollians]

I think it does especially the Symphony - if you have any of Argerich's numerous other accounts of the First Concerto it isn't essential.