Search - Johannes Brahms, Bernard Haitink, Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra :: Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 - Vladimir Ashkenazy

One Of The Finest Brahms 2nd Piano Concertos Ever Recorded

John Kwok | New York, NY USA | 03/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Let's hope this splendid CD is reissued soon by Decca/London as either an inexpensive CD or part of Decca's celebrated 2 CD releases of classic performances from its extensive recording vaults. This remains one of my favorite versions of Brahms' 2nd Piano Concerto, with magnificient playing from Ashkenazy and the Vienna Philharmonic under Bernard Haitink's baton. Ashkenazy's performance is substantially more exciting than Pollini's recent Deutsche Grammophon recording with Abbado conducting the Berlin Philharmonic; there's a splendid display of drama coupled with technical precision in Ashkenazy's performance. He also benefits from having our foremost interpreter of Brahms, Bernard Haitink, lead the Vienna Philharmonic in a vibrant performance which never overshadows Ashkenazy's playing. If you can find this CD, then you should definitely buy it along with Ashkenazy's equally mesmerizing account of Brahms' 1st Piano Concerto, with Haitink conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Needless to say, the sound quality on both CDs is absolutely superb."

Fantastic Performance!

Karl Fandrich | Waterville, VT | 06/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I got this CD from the library and fell in love with it! When I went to buy it, I found it was out of print. I searched around for it used, and was so happy when I finally found it! This is a spectacular performance of a masterpiece! You won't be disappointed!"

Out-of-Print, but a great cd!

Johnny Bard | Orlando, FL | 02/13/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's too bad that this recording is no longer available on the London label. Although recorded in 1984, this DDD disc sounds great (it's clear and full without sounding sterile). I love Ashkenazy's interpretation of Brahm's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Haitink (a conductor not as well known as Karajan or Davis) does a fantastic job of leading the Vienna Philharmonic through this beautiful and exciting composition. I was lucky enough to find this disc used. Fortunately, almost every major Classical record label (e.g., Deutsche Grammophon, Sony, Philips, etc.) offers one or more versions of this particular Brahms concerto (I also own the Philips 2-disc ADD set featuring Concertos 1 and 2, and both sound great). Still, it's too bad listeners today can't compare the other recordings with this one. I have always enjoyed listening to Ashkenazy, and once again his playing is superlative here. Decca has reissued a number of older recordings as 2-disc bargain sets, so maybe with time they'll do the same with this one. But in the meantime, if you ever come across this cd used, don't hesitate to buy it. It's a true gem!"