I must confess that
I find it difficult to know what to say about this pair of CDs.
John Lill is a thoughtful, very musical pianist, who I admire
very much. Indeed, a while ago I gave a most enthusiastic welcome
to the reissue of his Beethoven concerto cycle (see review)
- a set of performances that were recorded in the 1970s,
as were these Brahms concertos. So it was with some anticipation
that I approached these present discs. Unfortunately, I don’t
feel they are as competitive as were his Beethoven performances.
The Second Concerto
starts off badly, with a sluggish tempo adopted for the first
movement. At the very start I thought that perhaps the aim was
to be reflective but after two or three minutes I came to feel
that the speed was just plain sluggish. The performance sounds
as if it has feet of clay and though there’s some good playing
to admire from Lill along the way the reading never takes wing
and I find it hard to detect sufficient tension or forward movement.
Matters improve
somewhat in the second movement. However, on several occasions
Brahms eases back the tempo and at such moments I sense that
this performance sags a little. The slow movement is one of
Brahms’s most wonderful creations. There’s a long, singing introduction,
in which the orchestra’s principal cellist is to the fore. Loughran
and his players handle this section quite well. However, if
one turns to the classic Emil Gilels reading (DG), the contribution
of the Berlin Philharmonic under Jochum – and solo cellist Ottomar
Borwitzky – is in a different league. Now it may be cruel to
make such a comparison but, of course, when one issues a commercial
recording such comparisons are inevitable. John Lill’s first
entry has the right touch of fantasy and he gives a poetic account
of this movement. The extended, nocturnal transition back to
the opening material (6:35–9:06) is well done by all concerned.
I must say that I always find the finale to this work a bit
of a let-down but the performance here is perfectly satisfactory.
Turning to the First
Concerto, James Loughran generally conducts the substantial
introduction with a welcome degree of thrust. I say “generally”
because, once again, I sensed the tension reducing when Brahms
eases back from time to time. Other conductors – one thinks
of Szell for Curzon (Decca) or Jochum (DG) – achieve the delicate
balance between relaxation and maintenance of momentum rather
more successfully. Lill plays very well and seems equally successful
both in the grand rhetorical stretches and in the more reflective
passages.
The performance
of the second movement is dignified and warm and the finale
also goes well, with a proper sense of vigour and momentum.
I suppose, ultimately,
that this is a pair of decent performances that don’t really
stir my soul. I readily admit to what is of course a wholly
subjective reaction. Other listeners may well find much more
in the readings than I did. I hope so. The recorded sound is
unexceptionable and I didn’t find the piano tone, as recorded,
particularly ingratiating. There was one moment in the first
movement of the First Concerto (12:44-13:00) where, on repeated
hearings the pitch sounded decidedly queasy. If I’m right then
I presume this is a flaw on the source tape.
I’m very sorry that
I can’t be more enthusiastic about this set but it enters a
crowded and highly competitive market-place. There are several
alternative versions that have a much stronger claim on collectors’
attentions. My own shortlist would include Curzon/Szell (Decca)
in the First Concerto; the eloquent historical performances
of both concertos by Solomon (Testament); and, above all, the
1972 Gilels/Jochum set (DG), still unsurpassed after all these
years.
John Quinn
see also Review
by Christopher Howell
John Lill
(piano) 
