Search - Beethoven, Bernstein, Nyp :: Piano Concerto 1

Portrait of an underrated pianist

J. Buxton | Waltham, MA United States | 02/09/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"People forget what a marvellous pianist Bernstein really was, and this disc is testament to his considerable talent. I love Beethoven's first concerto and it is this recording I always return to among many versions I own. While Bernstein is certainly guilty of the big orchestra treatment (this cd is not for fans of "authentic" performances), he shows great insight into both composers and plays with tremendous skill and virtuosity. The sound is outstanding, certainly much better than some other "Royal Edition" releases. Speeds are broad, but not slow, and overall there is a sense of enjoyment conveyed in the music making. I recommend it."

Lovely musicianship from Bernstein in two roles

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The one keyboard gig that Bernstein was famous for is the Rhapsody in Blue, but he was an all-around pianist. His style was not flamboyant, nor was he a true virtuoso. Bernstein shows himself as a rather restrained classicist in the Beethoven First Concerto, yet it is uncanny how much the NY Phil. still sounds as if he was on the podium. There's real personality here, somewhat romantic but mostly just musical through and through. As the other reviewer has noted, this performance is on the large scale of Beethoven, not Haydn, but I wouldn't agree that the tempos are slow or the orchestra oversized. The sonics from 1960 are among the best LB ever got.



The Mozart piano concerto K. 503 comes from 1974, by which time Bernstein had settled into a romaantic view of Mozart. Here his approach will seem slow and old-fashioned to many, despite his care with detail and lightness of texture. The opening Allegro maestoso is indeed majestic and the following

Andante edges into being an Adagio. But there is real vibrancy here, as always. I think Bernstein may have favored this late work because it offers so much for the conductor as well as the soloist--all three movements have interesting orchestral introductions. The keyboard work is careful and stylish, though not to the utmost degree one finds in Mozart specialists like Brendel and Uchida. Sonics are quite good.



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