Search - Brahms, Van Cliburn :: Piano Concerto 1

Brahms, Van Cliburn
Piano Concerto 1
Genre: Classical

Track Listings (30) - Disc #1
1. Concerto No. 1, Op. 15: Maestoso
2. Concerto No. 1, Op. 15 In D Minor: Adagio
3. Concerto No. 1, Op. 15: Rondo: Allegro non troppo
4. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Aria
5. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation I: (Piu vivo)
6. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation II: Animato
7. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation III: Dolce
8. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation IV: Risoluto
9. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation V: Espressivo
10. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation VI: Sempre legato
11. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation VII: Con vivacita
12. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation VIII: (Con vivacita)
13. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation IX: Poco sostenuto
14. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation X: Energico
15. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XI: Dolce
16. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XII: Soave
17. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XIII: Largamente, ma non troppo
18. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XIV: Sciolto
19. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XV: (Sciolto)
20. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XVI: Piano ma marcato
21. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XVII: Piu mosso
22. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XVIII: Grazioso
23. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XIX: Leggiero e vivace
24. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XX: (Andante)
25. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XXI: Dolce
26. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XXII: (Alla musette)
27. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XXIII: Vivace e staccato
28. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XXIV: (Vivace)
29. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Variation XXV: (Vivace)
30. Variations And Fugue On A Theme By Handel, Op. 24: Fugue (Moderato)

CD Details

All Artists: Brahms, Van Cliburn
Title: Piano Concerto 1
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: RCA
Release Date: 2/13/1990
Genre: Classical
Styles: Forms & Genres, Concertos
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 090266035724

Synopsis

Amazon.com

This mindless interpretation really highlights Van Cliburn's weaknesses as an interpreter. One of the most difficult concertos ever written from a purely musical point of view, this Brahms piece offers Cliburn virtually no opportunity to display the type of emotion and rhapsodic expression that the pianist brought to just about everything else he did. The result, in this case, is stylistically out of sync with the music, particularly in the first movement. Not recommended. --David Hurwitz

CD Reviews

A Poor Effort by Cliburn

Michael B. Richman | Portland, Maine USA | 08/29/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"It seems people love to hate Van Cliburn. Whether it was because of his meteoric rise to fame at a young age, his heart-throb selling power or his ebullient playing style, he definitely has his critics. Personally, I love Cliburn. I think his Brahms 2nd, Rach 2nd and "Emperor" Concertos with Reiner, Tchaikovsky 1st with Kondrashin, and Grieg and Liszt Concertos with Ormandy are all incredible recordings. But this recording of the Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 only gives fuel to the critics' fire. Simply put, it's pretty disappointing. This Concerto is not particularly suited to Cliburn's playing style, and it is particularly evident in the exchanges between the solo piano parts and those of the full orchetra in the first movement, which often sound like two entirely different, competing pieces of music. (The power struggle between pianist and conductor in the first movement of this Concerto has happened before, most famously in a Gould/Bernstein live performance recently issued on CD by Sony.) My recommendation is to instead get the Curzon/Szell account, most recently available on CD in the "Decca Legends" series. Curzon better handles the Concerto's darker passages with a more appropriate and forceful style, and there the interplay between soloist and conductor is certainly more uniform, not only in the first movement but throughout the entire performance."