Search - Ludwig van Beethoven, Leonard Bernstein, Rudolf Serkin :: Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"

Outstanding Performance

John Fanning | Los Angeles, CA | 10/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have listened to many performances and recordings of this beloved concerto and this one, in my opinion, always ends up on top. It defines musical perfection. The majesty of the Emperor, its delicacy, its sweetness, its passion are all captured with such clarity it is impossible to listen to this performance without getting caught up in the emotions of this great concerto. If one has to choose which performance to get, this should be number one! The quality of this recording is also excellent."

Wonderful Performance, Poor Recording

M. Feaver | 03/19/2008

(2 out of 5 stars)

"All other reviewers seem to be satisfied with the quality of this recording, I found mine to be very poor. The performance is beautiful-you would be hard pressed to find better; however my download was riddled with not only digital but also very distracting background noise. At times it seems as if the recording was made from someone in the audience. The moving climactic crescendos are marred by slight distortion and at times you can hear what sounds like humming. I've owned a copy of this recording in the past and don't remember all these imperfections. You might be better served buying a hard copy of this recording."

Sound quality not up to par

Paul Rustigian | 09/01/2009

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I too found the sound quality distracting, which is a shame. There are pops and general noises in some of the quiet parts. Then, there are also weird sounds that I assume are coming from the bass fiddles when they really bow with force. It could be that on vinyl these things weren't as apparent, but in the digital age it just didn't cut it for me."