Beethoven: The Piano Concertos - Choral Fantasy / Levin, Gardiner [Box set]

On this CD:

1. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Constanze Backes, Julian Clarkson, Robert Johnston, Angela Kazimierczuk

2. Rondo for piano & orchestra in B flat major, WoO 6
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Constanze Backes, Julian Clarkson, Robert Johnston, Angela Kazimierczuk

3. Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Constanze Backes, Julian Clarkson, Robert Johnston, Angela Kazimierczuk

4. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Constanze Backes, Julian Clarkson, Robert Johnston, Angela Kazimierczuk, Robert Levin

5. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Constanze Backes, Julian Clarkson, Robert Johnston, Angela Kazimierczuk, Robert Levin

6. Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major ("Emperor"), Op. 73
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Constanze Backes, Julian Clarkson, Robert Johnston, Angela Kazimierczuk

7. Fantasia for piano, chorus, and orchestra ("Choral Fantasy"), Op. 80
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Constanze Backes, Julian Clarkson, Robert Johnston, Angela Kazimierczuk

8. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Alan George, Peter Hanson, Lucy Howard, Annette Isserlis, Robert Levin, David Watkin

9. Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 36
Composed by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performed by Alan George, Peter Hanson, Lucy Howard, Annette Isserlis, Robert Levin, David Watkin

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In B Flat Major, Op.19: 1. Allegro con brio
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In B Flat Major, Op.19: 2. Adagio
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 2 In B Flat Major, Op.19: 3. Rondo: Allegro molto
Rondo For Piano And Orchestra In B Flat Major, WoO 6: Allegro - Andante - (Tempo 1)
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In C Major, Op. 15: 1. Allegro con brio
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In C Major, Op. 15: 2. Largo
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 1 In C Major, Op. 15: 3. Rondo: Allegro

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37: 1. Allegro con brio
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37: 2. Largo
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 3 In C Minor, Op. 37: 3. Rondo: Allegro
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 4 In G Major, Op. 58: 1. Allegro moderato
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 4 In G Major, Op. 58: 2. Andante con moto - attacca:
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 4 In G Major, Op. 58: 3. Rondo: Vivace

Tracks:

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In E Flat Major, Op. 73 'Emperor': 1. Allegro
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In E Flat Major, Op. 73 'Emperor': 2. Adagio un poco moto - attacca:
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No. 5 In E Flat Major, Op. 73 'Emperor': 3. Rondo: Allegro ma non troppo
Adagio
Fantasy For Piano, Chorus And Orchestra In C Minor, Op. 80: Finale: Allegro - Meno allegro (Allegretto) - Allegro molto - Adagio ma non troppo - Marcia assai vivace - Allegro - Allegretto ma non troppo quasi andante con moto - Presto
Choral Fantasy: No. 1
Choral Fantasy: No. 2

Tracks:

Concerto No. 4 In G Major, Op. 58 For Piano And String Quintet: 1. Allegro moderato
Concerto No. 4 In G Major, Op. 58 For Piano And String Quintet: 2. Andante con moto
Concerto No. 4 In G Major, Op. 58 For Piano And String Quintet: 3. Rondo. Vivace
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36 For Piano, Violin And Violoncello: 1. Adagio - Allegro con brio
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36 For Piano, Violin And Violoncello: 2. Larghetto quasi Andante
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36 For Piano, Violin And Violoncello: 3. Scherzo. Allegro
Symphony No. 2 In D Major, Op. 36 For Piano, Violin And Violoncello: 4. Allegro molto

Customer Reviews:

Great performances from all concerned.......2006-08-10

It never ceases to amaze me when the modern-piano chauvinists make damning declarations about recordings like this one. What is contained on these three discs are performances which exhibit a great love for the concerti of Beethoven, a strong desire to get as close to the music and the spirit of the music as possible, and a clear manifestation of a desire to allow these works to live in grace and be heard in context.

One of the nicest features of this recording is the fact that Mr. Robert Levin uses a fortepiano from around the time each concerto was composed. Mr. Levin's playing is very affecting and I am profoundly satisfied with his approach and his meticulous attention to detail, while, at the same time, he interprets the poetry and passion and revolutionary qualities of these works very strongly. Robert Levin does some of his own cadenzas and in this respect he is very "in touch" with the performance practices of this period. For those who fancy hearing alternatives to Beethoven's own improvised introduction to the Choral Fantasia, Mr. Levin provides two of his own at the end of the disc. I quite like them, although they are no real substitute for Beethoven's own.

The Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique is in fine form and they compliment the sounds of Robert Levin's various fortepianos in a very colourful and powerful way. One can hear how hard Beethoven drove both his orchestra and the soloist in these recordings, he frequently pushed the players to the edge, and then some. Modern orchestras using modern instruments are never really "tested" by this music, no matter how loud or grand they make the music sound.

Of course, what makes this recording of these works so interesting and compelling is that we have the opportunity to hear a basically 18th century orchestra and instruments pushed and pulled as hard as possible by Beethoven. The sound is a lot "edgier" and more brittle than that of a modern orchestra - and a smaller but more "driven" sound. There are other HIP recordings of these works - Hogwood, Immerseel and Norrington have all recorded the Beethoven fortepiano concerti, and I've enjoyed many things about all of them (Immerseel's Emperor is probably the most powerful HIP rendering of this work I've heard) - but this Levin / Gardiner recording is my favourite. If you're only interested in one recording of these works on the fortepiano, then I would suggest that this is the one to go for.

Highlights? The 3rd and 4th concerti are my favourites and both the soloist and orchestra are absolutely wonderful in these two works on this recording. Gardiner's and Levin's Choral Fantasia is simply the best I've heard - it is performed with a great sense of fire, wit and élan! And, of course, you are free to nix Beethoven's intro ... if you feel like it!

Shame on DG and Universal if this marvellous and essential set is no longer available!

A fine HIP version.......2006-02-03

It is encourgaging that HIP versus traditional performances can still generate polarized responses after all these years. People are actually listening. After several years of listening to Tan/Norrington, van Immerseel/Weil, Newman/Simon and Lubin/Hogwood I decided to hear what Levin/Gardiner had to say about these much loved warhorses. I'd say a great deal. If you don't care for period instruments and the smaller scaled sound of fortepianos, I doubt you'll care for it. If you have a more open mind you will find things to fascinate and enjoy. Yes, there are times when the soloist sounds a bit swamped by the orchestra, but I'll take the more natural balance over gimmicks. Furthermore, the sense of struggle adds to the excitement of the performances. Would I give away Brendel, Fleisher, Rubinstein et al? Of course not. Beethoven's genius is multi-faceted and I want a range of interpretations both traditional and HIP. As Despina says to the sisters in Cosi fan tutte: "Eat the fig but don't throw away the apple."

These reviewers need to listen to a REAL pianist.......2004-07-18

People, for God sakes... don't tell me you like Robert Levin's exaggerated playing on the worst fortepiano sound I have ever heard. It seems that he shapes each phrase with the same arrogance that made him produce the folowing sentence, which I heard in one of his lectures: "if you take the orchestra part out in a Rachmaninov concerto, the piece remains unchanged"--Levin was just trying to make a amusing comment on how the composer did not write an interesting orchestral part for his concerti. Could you imagine the beginning of BOTH first and second movements of the Rachmaninov's second concerto, for example, without the orchestra?: yes, just a series of arpeggios. 'Scholar' arrogance excluded, Levin is NOT a fine pianist neither on the historical nor modern instruments. His sound is poor, lacking of colour and contrast. His phrasing, exaggerated most of the time, emphasizing artificial crescendi and diminuendi. I would prefer many recordings to this one: Brendel, Arrau, Schnabel (there are some good remasterings of his old recordings) Backhaus, just to name a few.

Beethoven's Piano Concertos.......2002-03-08

This is an incredible set of Beethoven's piano concertos played on pianoforte and authentic orchestral instruments. Robert Levin's playing consistantly exhibits fire and spontaneity. John Eliot Gardiner's conducting has plenty of power and momentum.These are wonderful performances. That being said, I don't understand why Levin always settles for a low level recording of the pianoforte. The balances may be what audiences in Beethoven's time heard but they make difficult listening on modern stereo equiptment. The same is true of the Levin / Hogwood series of Mozart concertos, though in the Decca recordings the orchestral textures are lighter allowing the pianoforte more prominence. In the Bilson / Gardiner Mozart recordings the balances are fine. One other caveat, I wish the 4th disc had readings of the Archduke & Ghost trios rather than the chamber versions of the 4th concerto & 2nd Symphony. Apart from these minor points, this is a set to cherish.

Truly a phenominal cycle.......2001-04-15

For me the 4th Piano Concerto is my favorite. This reading is quite diferent than what I was used to. Robert Levin's playing is amazing. Sometimes it seems that two people must be playing. There are many renditions of these Concertos, Brendel, Serkin and others. Not to take anything away from many talented performers, I find this the best. I like Levin's scholarly playing and especially his complex cadenzas. The recording quality rewards a good music installation.

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