Yo have not heard the No.2 Concerto if you have not heard Da
Abel | Hong Kong | 02/17/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Dang Thai Son, born in 1958, is the gold medallist of the 1980 Chopin International Piano Competition, as well as winner of the 'best Mazurka', 'best Polonaise' and 'best Concerto' performances.
He has not recorded for big labels, save one and only one for DG, and has since got out of print for a very long time.
The present recording was made in 2005; after quite a long while of absence from the discographic world by Mr. Dang, who has recorded all Chopin's solo and concerti pieces with Victor some decades ago.
Needless to say, such a legendary and low key pianist seldom receives the attention of the media. However, from his performances, Dang has again and again proved himself one of the very best interpretors of Chopin's works.
The two concerti here were played on a 1849 period pianoforte, and accompanied by Frans Bruggen's period ensemble the 18th Century ORchestra.
While I generally refrain from period performances, I find the present recording a highly successful collaboration. Dang and Bruggen are totally capable of striking the absolute musical balance between the solo and tutti passages. The period instruments bring out the contents of the pieces exceedingly well, and the recorded sound is never less than stunning throughout the entire disc.
Dang's No. 2 Concerto has to be heard to be believed. He has the absolute music sense to bring out Chopin's works to the best proportions as well as their fullest contents. His tonal shadings are always luscious; his strong sense of rhythm serves these 2 works well, especially the No. 2 Mazurka-like concerto. If the No.1 is more technically demanding, the No. 2 is more musically challenging. Big names like Askenazy, Argerich, Ax, Blechacz, Ohlsson, could not bring out the No. 2 to the extent as beauty as does Dang.
Dang has recorde the two concerti more than once - decades ago on modern instruments with Victor. However, even on period instruments, Dang demonstrates his absolutely perfect understanding of the works.
The No. 2 Concerto performance is based on this deep musical understanding, topped by beautiful tonal painting and a strikingly alert sense of rhythm. The performance fully captivates the listener from the very first note right to the very end. Truly, never could you find a better version of Chopin's No. 2 Concerto than as played under the magical hands of Dang Thai Son!"
A period reading of Chopin's chestnuts in romantic style
Larry VanDeSande | Mason, Michigan United States | 03/20/2010
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This recording is, I believe, the second to carry out the pair of concertos from Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) on an instrument of his time -- a mid-1800s Erard -- and backed up by a period orchestra, in this case the Orchestra of the 18th Century under Franz Bruggen. The first period peformance of Chopin's concertos was by Emanual Ax backed up by Charles Mackerras and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlghtenment about a decade ago.
As I recall (I don't own them anymore) Ax placed greater emphasis on poetry and imagination in his interpretation of the concertos and he was neither as memorable nor as sweeping as Dang Thai Son is here. Ax's instrument (an 1851 Erard) sounded a bit more like a modern grand piano in his usage, possibly becuase of the way he played it. Ax's recordings are stil available separately Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2 in F minor/Grand Fantasia/Grande Polonaise and Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in Em/ Variations, Op. 2, making their purchase inconvenient compared to this pairing.
This trio of internationally-acclaimed soloist (Dang), conductor (Bruggen) and orchestra have reinvented these concertos for the Chopin bicentennial. Indeed, the inside cover to this handsome pacakge says this is "the real Chopin." Dang, the 1980 Chopin Competition award winner, has a number of other Chopin recordings. Born Vietnam, Dang has built an international career around the solo piano music from the Polish composer.
Here, he and Bruggen collaborate in the two concertos, both recorded during concerts and complete with audience applause. Dang plays an 1849 Erard, a picture of which graces the pasted-in booklet that comes with the production. The notes say it's an exact copy of what Chopin would have played, has a 7 1/2 octave range, and was the predecessor of the cast iron instruments we know today. Its sound characterisitcs are not far different from a modern concert grand in the upper register. The lower register is a bit muddier and the sustaining characteristics wouldn't be confused for a 2010 instrument.
The performances are good ones with some reservations. The sololist shows his experience with Chopin in terms of rubato and legato, especially in the opening of the second concerto. He errs in the final movement of the first concerto, slipping on a few notes about 7 minutes into the finale. Bruggen is of a romantic temperament in these performances, eschewing the forward motion and somewhat hard driven interpretations of his Schubert symphonies Schubert: The Complete Symphonies.
A slip or two from a piano player in live performance is forgivable, of course, but it is compounded by some less than sterling playing for Bruggen's band. Either Bruggen diminished the role of his orchestra's brass and woodwinds for these performances, or the players can't be heard, or the recording engineers didn't pick them up. I can rarely hear a horn other than the solo arpeggio near the end of the second concerto, which is reserved. The woodwinds, when you can hear them, are sometimes sour, also.
The CD comes in a cardboard holder, not plastic, with a built-in tray for the CD and the 32-page bilingual (Polish and English) booklet tells you a lot about Chopin, Dang, the history of the concertos, the scholarly argument around period practice, and the instrument being played. It's a good package befitting a full price issue. One thing I found odd -- the recordings were made in 2005 (No. 2) and 2006 and this was apparently finished in 2006 but only found its way to USA this year. It is just now showing up in critical journals around the world so it must have been held for the 2010 bicentennial."
Dang Thai Son and Frans Bruggen - commemorating the 200th Ch
A. F. S. Mui | HK | 03/03/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"On 1st March 2010, the 'official' 200th birthday of Chopin, Vietnamese pianist Dang Thai Son and Frans Bruggen's 18th Century Orchestra were invited to perform Chopin's No. 2 Piano Concerto at Warsaw's special concert, together with Garrick Ohlsson and Yundi Li.
In 1980, Dang Thai Son and his conservatory colleague Ivo Pogorelich both entered the International Chopin Piano Competition at Warsaw. Pogorelich came out in the 3rd round under protest of Martha Argerich, on the panel of juries. Dang emerged as winner with three other major prizes, including 'best concerto performance'.
Pogorelich later recorded with DG the second concerto under the baton of Claudio Abbado to great critical acclaim. Dang's early release under the Victor label did not receive such attention. The present recording is Dang's more recent attempt in period instruments of these two concerti by Chopin.
Relatively fewer pianist excel at the No. 2 Concerto than the No. 1. I would say, however, that Mr. Dang excels at both, with marked distinction in the 2nd.
Being the college roommate of Pogorelich, I wonder if Dang and Pogo had not, during student days, rehearsed the No. 2 Concerto together multiple times. I for one would like to compare the two's No. 2.
Both versions are exceptionally fine, but on the whole, I opt for Dang's. Dang took far less liberties with the tempi of the various movements. His sense of structure is even better than Pogo as a result, though relatively speaking, Pogo already grasped the piece's structure quite well, and is clearly ahead of veterans like Tamas Vasary.
What I would like to draw on Dang's performance is his keen attention to detail and nuances, even within the strict framework that he's adopted. In terms of articulation, he is clearly on par with Pogorelich while in terms of style, clearly ahead of Pogo. His sense of rhythm, again, having a clear edge over most other exponents of this work.
It is therefore totally unsurprising and befitting that for the 200th Anniversary of Chopin's birth, Mr. Dang and Bruggen were chosen to perform the No. 2 Concerto.
"
Track Listings (6) - Disc #1
