Amazon.co.uk allows you to pay for your items in your local currency. Restrictions apply. Learn More. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
Track Listings
| Disc: 1 |
|---|
| 1. I. Allegro con brio |
| 2. II. Largo |
| 3. III. Rondo (Allegro scherzando) |
| 4. I. Allegro con brio |
| 5. II. Adagio |
| 6. III. Rondo (Molto allegro) |
| Disc: 2 |
| 1. I. Allegro con brio |
| 2. II. Largo |
| 3. III. Rondo (Allegro) |
| 4. I. Allegro moderato |
| 5. II. Andante con moto |
| 6. III. Rondo (Vivace) |
| Disc: 3 |
| 1. I. Allegro |
| 2. II. Adagio un poco mosso |
| 3. III. Rondo (Allegro) |
| 4. Fantasy in C Minor for Piano, Chorus & Orchestra, Op.80 (2006 Digital Remaster) |
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an immensely stimulating and enjoyable set of the Beethoven Piano Concertos . The combination of Barenboim and Klemperer in 1968 was inspired . The elderly and frail conductor bringing all his skill as a seasoned and serious Beethovenian with the New Philharmonia to create a real conversation with the young Barenboim .
There are lots of highlights - the slow movement of No2 , the finale of No4 and the opening of No1 all are marvels but most of all the wonderful performance of the Fifth Concerto . Barenboim's playing , fresh from his Beethoven sonata cycle - is dazzling , triumphant and almost unbearably moving by turns .
A fabulous bargain and likely to have you hooked on Beethoven for life if it is your first experience of his music.
There are lots of highlights - the slow movement of No2 , the finale of No4 and the opening of No1 all are marvels but most of all the wonderful performance of the Fifth Concerto . Barenboim's playing , fresh from his Beethoven sonata cycle - is dazzling , triumphant and almost unbearably moving by turns .
A fabulous bargain and likely to have you hooked on Beethoven for life if it is your first experience of his music.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This recording is to me the ideal recording of this music. I'm totally convinced by Klemperers natural flow of the music and his clear reading. Here is nothing exaggarated or artificial.
And Barenboim leaves me almost speechless. How can such a young musician have that deep understanding of this music? There is a balance and a consequence in his playing that make me say: "Yes, this is how it should be!" And the sheer joy in his playing is unique.
And Barenboim leaves me almost speechless. How can such a young musician have that deep understanding of this music? There is a balance and a consequence in his playing that make me say: "Yes, this is how it should be!" And the sheer joy in his playing is unique.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4 reviews
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Wonderful
28 Jan 2009
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
First of all a big thankyou to Amazon reviewers; I was given this group of concerti for Christmas because of its 4 and 5 star reviews as part of other sets....
Then it turns up in this guise with just 1 review where it is hammered on a technicality. So let me say straight away that I was given this set on CD and listened to it on CD via ordinary KEF speakers. I am certainly not an engineer or technician but the CDs sound perfect to me with the piano neither too forward nor too distant. No hiss or scratch or any other problem at all.The moral is; if you are going to review CDs, listen to CDs!
And the performances!!Just wonderful traditional performances. I am lucky enough to have seen Klemperer several times in London when young.As a teenager I knew nothing of his troubled past or reputation with critics. I was getting an introduction to the repertoire with a RFH season ticket and I loved the concerts.
For those who think that living in London from 1964 to 66 meant that I was lucky enough to see the Beatles, Stones, Searchers and Kinks you are right. But the season ticket at the Festival Hall also meant seeing Klemperer, Kertesz, Kempe, Bernstein, Guilini, Rozdesvensky, Barbirolli etc. My music education (thanks to an exasperated father) was way above any other subject.
By the way, the selling difference in this set is the Choral Fantasia which was performed at this years proms.It was damned with faint praise by the critics and it is given open hostility in the CD guide..but I love it.A new (to me , anyway) Beethoven orchestral work is a fresh and massive bonus!
The whole lot are at a bargain basement price ; wonderful.
Then it turns up in this guise with just 1 review where it is hammered on a technicality. So let me say straight away that I was given this set on CD and listened to it on CD via ordinary KEF speakers. I am certainly not an engineer or technician but the CDs sound perfect to me with the piano neither too forward nor too distant. No hiss or scratch or any other problem at all.The moral is; if you are going to review CDs, listen to CDs!
And the performances!!Just wonderful traditional performances. I am lucky enough to have seen Klemperer several times in London when young.As a teenager I knew nothing of his troubled past or reputation with critics. I was getting an introduction to the repertoire with a RFH season ticket and I loved the concerts.
For those who think that living in London from 1964 to 66 meant that I was lucky enough to see the Beatles, Stones, Searchers and Kinks you are right. But the season ticket at the Festival Hall also meant seeing Klemperer, Kertesz, Kempe, Bernstein, Guilini, Rozdesvensky, Barbirolli etc. My music education (thanks to an exasperated father) was way above any other subject.
By the way, the selling difference in this set is the Choral Fantasia which was performed at this years proms.It was damned with faint praise by the critics and it is given open hostility in the CD guide..but I love it.A new (to me , anyway) Beethoven orchestral work is a fresh and massive bonus!
The whole lot are at a bargain basement price ; wonderful.
7 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Excellent Playing But Unexciting!
21 Jun 2009
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I got these concertos because I have so much respect for Daniel Barenboim and Otto Klemperer. Barenboim gave me the best performance of
Brahms 2nd concerto with Celibidache and the Munich Philharmonic that I have ever heard anywhere anytime. (Apparently that 1995 performance is available only on VHS out of Amazon UK.) To me it was world class and a world beater, for I have never heard its equal. I had to hear it on Youtube of all places! What a meeting between orchestra, conductor, and soloist. That concerto, I would argue, is the mightiest we know in western civilization. But that's all beside the point. Because I love Klemperer too. And here these two, young and old, pling out Beethoven's piano concerti legacy!
I can sum it all up quickly. Great playing. Unexciting. One would think that Beethoven's music played anyway would be exciting. But apparently not. It has heretofore been my impression that it's hard to play Beethoven without being excitable on some level: depth, breath, and length. (For example, I find the Hammerklavier sonata very exciting!) So how can anyone as good as Barenboim and Klemperer and the Philharmonia play these great concerti technically so well but be so glum unmemorable. If I did not know who these two were, and it were up to me to buy the best performances based on discipline, approach, and other things like passion, I would buy the Szell-Fleisher on Sony or the Giulini-Michaelangeli on DG sets over these. However, if you love these two like I do, that's enough reason to just get them and listen reverently. Ah, well, they are played gorgeously.
Brahms 2nd concerto with Celibidache and the Munich Philharmonic that I have ever heard anywhere anytime. (Apparently that 1995 performance is available only on VHS out of Amazon UK.) To me it was world class and a world beater, for I have never heard its equal. I had to hear it on Youtube of all places! What a meeting between orchestra, conductor, and soloist. That concerto, I would argue, is the mightiest we know in western civilization. But that's all beside the point. Because I love Klemperer too. And here these two, young and old, pling out Beethoven's piano concerti legacy!
I can sum it all up quickly. Great playing. Unexciting. One would think that Beethoven's music played anyway would be exciting. But apparently not. It has heretofore been my impression that it's hard to play Beethoven without being excitable on some level: depth, breath, and length. (For example, I find the Hammerklavier sonata very exciting!) So how can anyone as good as Barenboim and Klemperer and the Philharmonia play these great concerti technically so well but be so glum unmemorable. If I did not know who these two were, and it were up to me to buy the best performances based on discipline, approach, and other things like passion, I would buy the Szell-Fleisher on Sony or the Giulini-Michaelangeli on DG sets over these. However, if you love these two like I do, that's enough reason to just get them and listen reverently. Ah, well, they are played gorgeously.
10 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Great performances, not so great audio engineers
18 Oct 2007
Format:Audio CD
I am a big fan of Klemperer and Barenboim and I did enjoy these performances, but my enjoyment was negatively affected by the very audible audio distortion. These discs date from the mid 60s and, from the audio engineers standpoint, they sound FAR WORSE than the Rubinstein/Krips early stereo Beethoven Piano Concerto cycle from the mid 50s.
On all the discs I heard the piano distort, especially on concerto 1 (listen at about 14.5 minutes during movement 1) and the Choral Fantasy is pretty bad. It is not too bad on concertos 4 and 5. During the intense parts, the orchestra can sound a little shrill as if the recording levels were set too high.
Since I have only heard this music via Rhapsody, maybe the problem is with their conversion and not to be found on the CD. If other listeners have the actual CDs and they do not distort as I have described, please set me straight and post comments and your own review. There are two CD versions by EMI currently for sale This present Great Recordings of the Century from 2006 and an earlier 2002 release. There is one review posted for the earlier release complaining about the harshness of the sound and seems like that reviewer was hearing what I heard "the piano has an almost harsh ringing sound. Infact, the entire recording has a supercharged high end that can be oppressive."
If these recordings did not distort, this would be a 4 or 5 star review.
On all the discs I heard the piano distort, especially on concerto 1 (listen at about 14.5 minutes during movement 1) and the Choral Fantasy is pretty bad. It is not too bad on concertos 4 and 5. During the intense parts, the orchestra can sound a little shrill as if the recording levels were set too high.
Since I have only heard this music via Rhapsody, maybe the problem is with their conversion and not to be found on the CD. If other listeners have the actual CDs and they do not distort as I have described, please set me straight and post comments and your own review. There are two CD versions by EMI currently for sale This present Great Recordings of the Century from 2006 and an earlier 2002 release. There is one review posted for the earlier release complaining about the harshness of the sound and seems like that reviewer was hearing what I heard "the piano has an almost harsh ringing sound. Infact, the entire recording has a supercharged high end that can be oppressive."
If these recordings did not distort, this would be a 4 or 5 star review.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Listmania!
|
|
![Virgin Veritas [6]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51U0KZCwl7L._AA60_.jpg)
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
