Classical Music

Classical Music

The exploration of Beethoven's piano works still continues to astonish me," wrote the Viennese pianist Rudolf Buchbinder in 2014, introducing his book Mein Beethoven: Leben mit dem Meister. "Even pieces that I have performed hundreds of times never lose their freshness to me." Buchbinder recorded this collection of Beethoven's complete works for solo piano - which includes a number of rarities - between 1973 and 1981. At it's heart, of course, are the sonatas. As Buchbinder has said: "There are, I believe, no more personal statements of a human being than those we find in these 32 piano sonatas, which are also the crowning glory of Beethoven's oeuvre.

Intimate and inspiring communication is of the essence in chamber music. Here Beethoven's characteristically masterly works in the genre are interpreted by musicians who defined their era as star soloists and were also close collaborators and friends: Barenboim, du Pr�, Perlman, Zukerman, Harrell and others. Dating from the years around 1970 and from the early 1990s, these recordings do full justice to the spirit and scope of Beethoven's genius.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Emphasizing it's reputation as probably the greatest of all violin concertos, Perlman has described Beethoven's masterpiece as "classical and transparent", saying "You can't hide behind it". In this live recording, made with with Daniel Barenboim and the Berliner Philharmoniker, his playing is as fearless and authoritative as it is beautiful.

For his first album with Warner Classics, Lahav Shani conducts the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra in Symphony No. 7 and plays Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4: two pieces which come from Beethoven's so-called middle period. The classical harmonic tension contributes to the drive of the music as much as the rhythmic propulsion. This music features a clarity of texture and, above all, a unity between the melodic motive and the accompaniment. Acclaimed for his 'instant chemistry' with the orchestra, Lahav Shani is considered the shooting star amongst conductors - as Der Tagesspiegel puts it: 'The young maestro is simply sensational'.

Pianist Alexander Lonquich, alongside the Muncih Chamber Orchestra, rises to the challenge of performing the entirety of Beethoven’s piano concertos, programmed in chronological order.

BEETHOVEN: PIANO SONATAS OP 57

BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO 7, CORI

TOSCANINI COLLECTION: BEETHOVE

OFRA HARNOY COLLECTION VOL 5 -

Rubinstein Collection, Vol. 58: Beethoven: Piano Concertos N

The Fifth benefits from fleet tempos, tight ensemble, and punchy attacks, with the woodwinds nicely cutting through the string-centered sonority. Munch tends to set a course and push through without offering any of the telling details of phrasing and pacing provided by, say, Carlos Kleiber and the Vienna Philharmonic, to say nothing of the splendid recent Vänskä/Minnesota surround version on BIS (coupled with the Fourth). Still, it’s a fine performance comparable to the early 1960s Karajan, but with greater textural variety... A very good Fifth.

-- James Reel, FANFARE [reviewing the Beethoven Fifth, reissued as part of RCA 67892]

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The “Unfinished” Symphony gets a fine performance here too: weighty but not stodgy, with a graceful singing line and especially lovely woodwind work.

-- James Reel, FANFARE [reviewing the Schubert Eighth, reissued as part of RCA 704603]