Search - Johannes Brahms, Eliahu Inbal, Kurt Masur :: Brahms: Piano Concertos 1 & 2

Leonskaya's Magnificent Brahms

T. Beers | Arlington, Virginia United States | 07/30/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Elizabeth Leonskaya is a Russian pianist who performs a lot in Germany and Austria, less often here. What a shame! She has technique to burn, but what stands out about her Brahms performances is the quality of sound she coaxes from the piano: huge, massive, but not loud or percussive; burnished, almost dark, like a sonic equivalent of polished mahogany. She is, in short, a perfect pianist for Brahms and one can only wonder why these CDs aren't more well known or widely praised. Of course, the reason is the sheer number of distinguished recordings of this fabulous music. Backhaus, Schnabel, Pollini, Barenboim, Gilels, Fleischer, Arrau, Rubinstein and Serkin are only the most famous pianists to have recorded both Brahms concertos with distinction, and Leonskaya belongs in that pack to be sure. Her approach is closest to Arrau's: magisterially-paced (but never too slow), with an acute attention to detail that is considered and rendered structurally, i.e., not as mere decoration. As with Arrau, Leonskaya's playing seems to inhabit an almost three-dimensional musical space. The result is a "centered" kind of performance that is as much concerned with the vertical, harmonic dimension(s) of the music as with the horizontal. Both Inbal and Masur - & their orchestras - provide distinguished support, and the result is the kind of performance that can only happen when musicians are truly listening to each other. (I had some worries about Masur. Although he is a fabulously gifted conductor, neither of his recorded Brahms symphony cycles [Leipzig Gewandhaus/VEB/Philips/analog and New York Phil/Teldec/digital] have shown him at his best. In this case, Masur's patient carefulness on the podium doesn't result in the rhythmic slackness and structural disjointedness that marred those recordings. As with Inbal, the orchestral writing unfolds grandly but cohesively, and is totally "in synch" with the pianist's conception of the music.) Teldec's (digital) sound is first rate and the price for the 2 Cd, "slimline" set is very attractive. Please try these recordings. You'll be glad you did!"

Brilliant execution

Jeffrey J. Griffiths | New York, New York | 10/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording has a brilliantly clear sound. The execution of the pieces are practically flawless. I must say that any serious admirer of these two oeuvres must have this recording! Five stars, no question."

The first won a comparison on French radio

M. Henri De Feraudy | France | 05/31/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On May 24 2009, I listened to a radio show on France Classique which was a 2 hour comparison of "the best" interpretations of the Brahms first piano concerto on the radio and it was Leonskaja's version that pleased the critics the most.

Personally I thought the Guillels recording was almost or about as good, but given that the Guillels recording is legendary this is really saying something for Elisabeth Leonskaja's rendition!"