Alfred Brendel: Early Recordings Volume 3
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto No 5 in E-flat, Op 73, ‘Emperor’ [38:16]
Alfred Brendel (piano)
Vienna Pro Musica/Zubin Mehta
Franz (Ferenc) LISZT (1811-1886)
Harmonies poétiques et religieuses, No 10: Cantique [6:19]
Alfred Brendel (piano)
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Concerto No 10 for two pianos and orchestra, K365 [24:30]
Alfred Brendel and Walter Klien (pianos)
Vienna State Opera Orchestra/Paul Angerer
rec. 1955-1962. ADD.
Reviewed as downloaded from press preview.
BEULAH 3PS86
[69:06]
Download from
AmazonUK
(mp3) or
Qobuz
(lossless, as reviewed).
Recently, one of my students brought to her lesson a copy of Beethoven’s Für Elise in an edition
made by Alfred Brendel, originally
published in 1968. I was not totally surprised to see his extensive pedal
markings, at times somewhat inappropriate in today’s age of authentic music
making. So it was a real pleasure to hear Brendel’s recording of the
‘Emperor’ Concerto from 1960, as I had forgotten how modern sounding his
early performances as a young man had been. Compare this with more recent
fare from Brendel, where beauty and richness of tone (and abundant
pedalling) seem to be the norm, especially in his more romantic approach to
Schubert.
The arresting opening of Brendel’s account of the Emperor concerto sets the
tone for the entire movement. The robust and energetic nature of his
performance of the brilliant semiquaver passages in the introduction did
come as rather a surprise. This is probably the effect that Beethoven
intended and must have come as a bit of a shock to the listeners at the
time. The forward thrust of Brendel’s pianism leads to an equally dynamic
performance of the first subject from the young Zubin Mehta and the Vienna
Pro Musica Orchestra. In spite of the superb transfers, these recordings
from the late 1950s can sound a little dated and the orchestra does suffer
from rather suspicious intonation from time to time. For example, the
clarinettist’s dolce response to the strings’ first subject is a
little under the note. Occasionally the strings lack warmth and the
perfection of ensemble we expect as standard in modern recordings is not
always spot on. The balance is very much in favour of the high strings, so
that in the closing passage of the orchestral exposition, for example, the
interplay between the first violins with cellos and basses results in the
bass line being almost inaudible.
However, none of this detracts from the overall impression of truly great
music-making here. Brendel’s piano sound is always beautiful even in faster
passages. Very classical sounding with no over-romanticising. The first
movement is bursting with vitality and rhythmic energy, but the pianist
also treats us to passages of great delicacy and beauty. Notice, for
example, Brendel’s pianissimo playing of the gently staccato and leggiero second subject. Originally played
by the horns near the beginning of the coda’s cadenza-like passage, this
soon leads to the final fff peroration of the movement. This is a
truly magnificent performance, and it makes Helene Grimaud’s account from
2006 with Vladimir Jurowski, beautiful and romantic though it often is,
seem positively tame in comparison.
The key change for the Adagio always sounds so beautiful and
unexpected, and even though I have heard it so many times, this is always a
moment I wait for with bated breath. The Pro Arte Orchestra, Zubin Mehta
and the sound engineers capture this moment superbly. We are treated to a
better string tone here and Brendel and Mehta keeping the whole thing moving
forward. Jurowski and Grimaud seem rather sluggish in comparison (DG
4776595, or 4777190 with Sonata No 28, both download only –
review
of original release: Recording of the Month).
Following a suspenseful transition, Brendel’s entry into the ensuing
‘Rondo’ seems positively explosive, but his initial statement of the main,
syncopated theme is in measured tempo allowing for great clarity of
texture. Mehta is suitably vigorous in the orchestral response though,
again, I feel that the string department tone is rather thin, sparse and
top-heavy. Then Brendel’s crystal clear semiquaver triplets which follow,
leading to the beautifully phrased second main theme, remind us both of
Brendel’s prodigious technique and his barely rivalled musicality.
This is a truly great performance from Alfred Brendel, and Mehta is a
sympathetic partner. Beulah have done wonders with the transfer, especially
with the piano part. As well as the grandeur and magnificence of the
pianist’s playing, we can appreciate every subtle detail of nuance and
expressiveness at all dynamic levels. The sound quality and performance
from the orchestra, whilst satisfactory and full of rhythmic vitality, is
not always at the highest level.
It was good to hear Walter Klien again after so many years, as I well
remember the stir caused when his Mozart recordings of the sonatas were
issued in the 1960s. I think that this set was very influential in
contributing to the emerging movement leading to a more authentic way of
playing classical period music. Brendel and Klien seem to play as one in
the Mozart Concerto No 10 for 2 pianos and orchestra. This performance
shows how so-called ‘authentic’ performance, with its regularity of tempo,
never too slow, can be imbued with so much expressiveness and feeling
without sounding over romantic or nostalgic. All those interested in
classical style performance should definitely listen to this.
For me, the Liszt Cantique d’amour has to be the highlight of the
disc. Brendel imbues the poetry of the melodic line with a sense of sublime
serenity. The melody is always pre-eminent, whatever may be the elaboration
or decoration of the accompanying figures. Brendel pays great attention to
every detail. For example, when the main melody is presented by Liszt in
right hand octaves, the composer asks for the lower notes to be rather more
weighted than the upper octave notes (from bar 22). Brendel negotiates this
passage with breath-taking effect. In spite of such attention to detail, he
creates a sense of freedom and improvisation combined with a deep
understanding of the work’s structure. This performance reminds us what a
great pianist Alfred Brendel was, even as a young man. The recording
engineers have done marvels here and the results can only be praised. I
can’t imagine a better performance of this piece.
These recordings come highly recommended.
Geoffrey Molyneux
