A1 BRAHMS Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 • Stephen Hough (Pn
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A1 BRAHMS Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2 • Stephen Hough (pn); Mark Wigglesworth, cond; Salzburg Mozarteum O • HYPERION 67961 (2 CDs: 97O59) Having only just reviewed a disappointing set of the Brahms piano concertos with Hélène Grimaud and Andris Nelsons for the last issue, I was very optimistic about this new set, given Stephen Houghʼs distinguished reputation and winning track record of outstanding recordings. My optimism was not only justified, it was repaid tenfold. So stunning are these performances and recordings, I am still awestruck and barely know where to begin describing them. First off, letʼs dispense with timings. In every movement but the finales of both concertos, Hough and Wigglesworth are faster than Grimaud and Nelsons, not by that much, mind you, but enough to give Hough and Wigglesworth an edge in forward momentum and thrust. But as Iʼve said so many times before, tempo is only one measure of our perception of the pace of a performance. Conductor Wigglesworth puts an interesting spin on Brahmsʼs Maestoso marking for the first movement of the First Concerto. Dignified, stately, and majestic, itʼs anything but. The orchestraʼs opening salvo—with its kettledrum roll and ff octave Ds in the horns, violas, and double basses, joined a bar later by the clarinets, bassoons, violins, and cellos—is like the bursting open of the gates of Hell and the unleashing of its fires upon the face of the Earth. Itʼs an apocalyptic vision that will startle you out of your seat. Iʼve never heard the beginning of this Concerto delivered with such a punishing punch to the solar plexus; it knocked the wind right out of me. In short order, itʼs followed by that inexpressibly sad, yet caressingly comforting, subsidiary theme, played with a feeling of such absolution it would melt stone. I have to admit that upon first receiving this release for review, I questioned how successful the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra would be in bringing off such a big, expansive, Romantic score, having previously tended to associate the ensemble with a modestly sized orchestra specializing in repertoire from the Classical period. My assumptions and doubts were ill-founded. At full force, the Salzburg band numbers 91 players, which are way more than necessary or what are called for by Brahmsʼs two piano concertos. In the First Concerto, woodwinds, brass, and timpani together add up to only 15, and even if you maximized the strings to say, 12, 12, 8, 8, and 4, youʼd still have fewer than 60 players. The Second Concerto uses the same complement of woodwinds, brass, and timpani, with one of the flutes doubling on piccolo. Neither of the concertos uses the trombones, contrabassoon, or tuba variously called for by Brahms in his symphonies. Here I am, well into this review, and I havenʼt even come yet to Stephen Hough. I just wanted to make clear first what phenomenal playing Mark Wigglesworth draws from the Mozarteum orchestra and what a fantastic interpreter of these Brahms scores he is. Is it too much to hope that he, the orchestra, and Hyperion will team up to record the symphonies? Hough, unsurprisingly, is a master of this domain. His well-received 1991 recording of the two concertos for Virgin Classics with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Davis established Houghʼs Brahms credentials, but those performances canʼt match the electrifying synergy that exists between Hough and Wigglesworth in these new versions. Houghʼs subtle rubato, nuanced Luftpausen, and building of long arches in ever upward spiraling dynamic calibrations lead with infallible intuition to Brahmsʼs sweeping climaxes. Both Hough, with his left hand, and Wigglesworth, coaxing the cellos and double basses with his baton, bring out Brahmsʼs almost Baroque-like ostinatos and recurring motivic fragments lurking deep in the lines below the surface in a way that not only make them audible, but further add to the sense of imposing structural integrity projected by these performances. Hough, as always, of course, is a real powerhouse of a player, with a commanding technique and indefatigable stamina that make him an ideal pianist for these two towering Romantic concertos. Iʼm surprised that Hyperion never got around to them as part of its “Romantic Piano Concerto” series. Where the B♭-Major Concerto is concerned, fairness demands that I note Wigglesworthʼs equally slow, drawn-out opening measures, the same metronomic anomaly I called attention to in my previous review of the Grimaud and Nelsons performance. I donʼt know where this particular practice arose or what justifies it, but I see nothing in the score that can square a tempo thatʼs practically Largo for the three quarter-notes and a triplet sounded by the first horn in measure one, with a tempo that takes off Allegro on the same three quarter-notes and a triplet in the full orchestra at the commencement of the big orchestral exposition 28 bars later, after the pianoʼs introductory cadenza. Thereʼs no change in the initial tempo marking of Allegro moderato or metronome indication of 92 to the quarter-note. I will say, though, that if you have to perpetuate this seemingly habitual misreading, Wigglesworth, the orchestraʼs first horn player (Willi Schwaiger, I presume), and Hyperionʼs recording engineer have conspired to create the most atmospheric projection of those opening horn calls Iʼve ever heard. With just the right amount of ambient reverberation, the effect is that of the alphorn echoing across alpine meadows in the TV commercial for Ricola cough drops. I know that may strike you funny, but I guarantee itʼs a sound that will instantly transport you to a place somewhere in the Swiss or Austrian Alps. Special commendation must also go to the orchestraʼs principal cellist, Marcus Pouget, for his rapturously played solo in the Second Concertoʼs third movement. Hough, of course, plays gloriously throughout, with thunderous fortes and pointed rhythmic accents in Brahmsʼs angst-ridden passages, and delicate whispers in the quiet, calm moments. There are too many recordings of these concertos in the catalog, some having significant historical interest, to say that these new ones from Hough, Wigglesworth, the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra, and Hyperion are the best ever to have graced the grooves, but I can definitely say that for the foreseeable future these are the performances of the Brahms piano concertos I shall be listening to before all others. Urgently recommended. Jerry Dubins This article originally appeared in Issue 37F5 (May/June 2014) of Fanfare Magazine. MusicWeb Review of Leon Fleisher & Emil Gilels Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897) Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 (1854/58) [46O48] Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel for solo piano, Op. 24 (1861) [25O10] Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83 (1878/81) [47O26] 16 Waltzes for solo piano, Op. 39 (1864, arr. solo piano 1867) [18O12] Leon Fleisher (piano) Cleveland Symphony Orchestra/Georg Szell rec. 21-22 February 1958 (Op. 15), 19-20 October 1962 (Op. 83) Severance Hall, Cleveland, Ohio, USA; 31 May, 1, 14 June, 5 July, 9, 17 August 1956, Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City, USA (Op.24); August 9th-17th 1956, Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City, USA (Op. 39). ADD SONY CLASSICAL MASTERWORKS HERITAGE MH2K 63225 [7205 + 65O44] Johannes BRAHMS Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15 (1854/58) [51O43] Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83 (1878/81) [51O44] 7 Fantasias for solo piano, Op. 116 (1892) [21O44] Emil Gilels (piano) Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra/Eugen Jochum rec. June 1972, Jesus Christ Church, Dahlem, Berlin, Germany (Op. 15, 83); September 1975, Concert Hall, Turku, Finland (Op. 116). ADD DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON 447 446-2 [51O43 + 7337] There are a large number of recordings of the Brahms piano concertos. It can be quite bewildering as well as time-consuming choosing the finest available versions. For my recommendation I have settled on established accounts from two eminent pianists: the American Leon Fleisher on Sony and Ukrainian-born Emil Gilels on Deutsche Grammophon. Fleisher was born in 1928 in San Francisco and was in his early to mid-thirties when he made these recordings. Released on the CBS Epic label (now Sony) they were made four years apart at Clevelandʼs Severance Hall: the First in 1958 and the Second in 1962. Szell was Hungarian by birth and raised in Austria. He was one of a group of Hungarian-born conductors who made such an impact on American musical life including Dorati, Reiner and Ormandy. From his appointment as music director in 1946 Szell moulded the Cleveland players into one of Americaʼs finest orchestras. Fleisher first performed with Szell in 1946 at Ravinia with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra playing Brahmsʼ First Concerto. In the booklet notes Fleisher explains that he recorded the First Concerto on two different pianos, “my piano CD199 [Note: Steinway], having been delayed en route from New York by a snowstorm, arrived only in time to be used for the second and third movements.” The Fleisher disc also includes impressive solo piano performances of the Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op. 24 and the set of 16 Waltzes, Op. 39. They were both recorded in 1956 with mono sound at the Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City. Emil Gilels, born in 1916 at Odessa in the Ukraine, was aged fifty-five when he recorded the Brahms Piano Concertos in 1972 at the Jesus Christ Church in Berlin Dahlem - a renowned recording venue which is still in high demand today. Jochum was steeped in the Austro-German tradition and was thought of as a specialist of Bruckner and Brahms.