BaL 26.03.22 - Beethoven: Piano Concerto no 4 in G major

[mikealdren]

Mind you I slightly preferred the Curzon because fundamentally I prefer the sound he makes when the finger hits the keys. One of the all time great cantabile pianists….

Such an important point and why I also like the Kempff. It's also the reason that I didn't, for instance, like Víkingur Ólafsson's highly regarded prom last summer.

[ardcarp]

I loved that BAL. Joanna was just splendid, concentrating on technical matters, especially touch. And didn't she express herself clearly? I thought her comments about the end of cadenza 1 and conductors was both amusing and spot on. Cadenzas are one of the most scary things for any conductor...easy to start (often with a nice 6/4 chord) but the very devil to end by bringing the orchestra in spot-on, especially where a rubato-laden run is concerned. And even worse when the pianist (or other instrumentalist) does it differently in rehearsal and performance. If only all soloists would 'nod, wink and gurn' as Joanna suggested. Some just stare into space or at their instrument as if determined not to give anyone a clue.

Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto has long been my favourite, and I'm more than happy to agree with exceptionally brilliant Gilels as 'winner'

I also thought Flora Wilson's gallop through lieder was excellent...she certainly has the strength of personality to keep Andrew in the background!
Much as I like Iestyn Davies, I had a problem with his Schöne Müllerin. This is nothing to do with gender bias or any other 'woke' issues. After all male/female roles have changed places happily over the centuries. It's just that the piano accompaniment, including any melodic material, is mainly written in the middle-to-lower keyboard register, and to me there was too much 'air-space' between it and the alto voice. One is almost tempted to tamper with piano-part....but that would be heresy.

[Wolfram]

I loved that BAL. Joanna was just splendid, concentrating on technical matters, especially touch. And didn't she express herself clearly?

I completely agree. A really interesting BAL; the best for a while. The producers should book her in again as soon as possible.

[Lordgeous]

Agreed, at least 9 out of 10, but I'm sure many of us missed personal favourites (where was dear old Solomon?) but can't complain about the choice of Gilels, a performance I've enjoyed for years. My usual moan.... BAL is NOT LONG ENOUGH! However, still looking forward to Figaro next week. Could this be the greatest piece (if there is one) ever written??? Which recording will Nic Kenyon choose????

[ardcarp]

BAL is NOT LONG ENOUGH!

I've been banging on about that too. Couldn't the programme start with with a 10 - 15 minute piece (maybe part of a new release) which would take us up to 0915, and then start BAL proper? The extra 15/20 mins, without too much talk, could make a lot of difference.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I loved that BAL. Joanna was just splendid, concentrating on technical matters, especially touch. And didn't she express herself clearly? I thought her comments about the end of cadenza 1 and conductors was both amusing and spot on. Cadenzas are one of the most scary things for any conductor...easy to start (often with a nice 6/4 chord) but the very devil to end by bringing the orchestra in spot-on, especially where a rubato-laden run is concerned. And even worse when the pianist (or other instrumentalist) does it differently in rehearsal and performance. If only all soloists would 'nod, wink and gurn' as Joanna suggested. Some just stare into space or at their instrument as if determined not to give anyone a clue.

Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto has long been my favourite, and I'm more than happy to agree with exceptionally brilliant Gilels as 'winner'

I also thought Flora Wilson's gallop through lieder was excellent...she certainly has the strength of personality to keep Andrew in the background!
Much as I like Iestyn Davies, I had a problem with his Schöne Müllerin. This is nothing to do with gender bias or any other 'woke' issues. After all male/female roles have changed places happily over the centuries. It's just that the piano accompaniment, including any melodic material, is mainly written in the middle-to-lower keyboard register, and to me there was too much 'air-space' between it and the alto voice. One is almost tempted to tamper with piano-part....but that would be heresy.

Back in the sixties there was a BBC conducting competition where one of the tests was bringing in the orchestra exactly on the final note of one of the two short cadenzas in the final movement. I think one of the judges was Otto Klemperer. I also seem to remember they made one hapless contestant repeat it till he got it right. It did make me think though is this one work that the musos know so well they could practically get it right without a downbeat? It’s fairly obvious as the mini cadenzas- one a c major scale run and the other chromatic run- but both end on a E which is the first note of the tune the strings are about to play. I don’t think I’ve ever heard it go wrong in a live concert. Though I did once hear Barenboim and Mehta slightly mangle the end of movement one with the final G maj piano chords out of sync with the orchestra. They exchanged a baffled glance !
I agree that Joanna’s comments were excellent - she really knows what she’s talking about.

[silvestrione]

I've been banging on about that too. Couldn't the programme start with with a 10 - 15 minute piece (maybe part of a new release) which would take us up to 0915, and then start BAL proper? The extra 15/20 mins, without too much talk, could make a lot of difference.

Today was 50 minutes, however, and it did not seem rushed at all, except perhaps in the first movement, where some illustration of the other key moments, before we got on to the development, would have been good. But I thought it was an excellent programme, with the finer points of all the recordings played being celebrated, and little carping or criticism.

[cloughie]

Seems JMcG likes proper pianos played nicely!
Delighted to see an old favourite cross the line first!

[Barbirollians]

Yes her choices were very much of well known classic recordings - though I noted that Solomon was missing.

[cloughie]

Yes her choices were very much of well known classic recordings - though I noted that Solomon was missing.

But the wisdom was there!

[antongould]

Seems JMcG likes proper pianos played nicely!
Delighted to see an old favourite cross the line first!

Indeed

[richardfinegold]

But the wisdom was there!

Good one! Gillis is a favorite pianist but I was unfamiliar with this recording. His cycle with Szell always left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Barbirollians]

Good one! Gillis is a favorite pianist but I was unfamiliar with this recording. His cycle with Szell always left a bad taste in my mouth.

Apart from the Third Concerto that Szell cycle did not seem to work for me not a meeting of minds.

[richardfinegold]

Apart from the Third Concerto that Szell cycle did not seem to work for me not a meeting of minds.

Very much so. You liked the Third? I picked it up on lp about a decade ago in London, before deciding to sell off my analog playback equipment, at which time I gave away the lps. The lp looked ok when I bought it but the luggage handlers at either Heathrow or O’Hare turned it into an obelisk upon my return

[Barbirollians]

Very much so. You liked the Third? I picked it up on lp about a decade ago in London, before deciding to sell off my analog playback equipment, at which time I gave away the lps. The lp looked ok when I bought it but the luggage handlers at either Heathrow or O’Hare turned it into an obelisk upon my return

Yes I had it on an HMV Concert Classics cassette with the 32 Variations for solo piano and I thought it was a cracking performance. I then bought the 2 and 4 in the same series and found them very disappointing a sort of clinical coolness affected them very much and Szell seemed at his most brusque. As a result I have never investigated the 1st and 5th but I recall a Gramophone review saying similar things.

I was able to pick the Third up on its own on Cd in Tower Records in Hong Kong in the early 2000s.