Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2, Haydn Variations

I disagree with the preceding reviews. Hans Richter-Haaser was one of the greatest pianists ever to record.

When I first heard the Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto, the pianists were Gilels w. Reiner, Serkin w. Ormandy, Horowitz w. Toscanini, and Fleisher w. Szell. The concerto in each of those performances came across to me as a disappointment, because the music seemed to lack the Germanic solidity and seriousness-of-purpose which I associate with Brahms. All of those performances were lightweight and lacked momentum.

Then I came across R-H w. Karajan, because I knew, from other works, that Karajan was a very great conductor. I have since heard almost every recording Karajan made, and never did I feel that he was as well paired with any soloist (pianist, violinist, or otherwise) as he was here with R-H, who projected in this recording as if he were the soul of Karajan at the piano. Furthermore, I have heard every recording that R-H made, and never was he paired as well with any conductor as he was with Karajan.

So, what is their shared vision of the Brahms 2nd? As was the case with all of Karajan's Brahms, there's coolness, and rounded edges, never anything that sounds angular, and never anything that sounds warm either. However, every milligram of the music's monumentality projects clearly, and the meditative passages (including the concerto's entire beatific 2nd movement) are unrivaled in any other recording.

Both of these performers were German/Austrian mystics in their musical style, concentrated upon the sky, and what happens on the ground was out-of-focus blurry if anything at all.

Are these traits appropriate for Brahms? Yes and no. Yes, in the sense that Brahms himself was a giant of Germanic culture, and these performers perform him that way (which none of the American recordings do). No, in the sense that Brahms was more worldly, and far more concerned with issues of the flesh, than were the Bruckerians Karajan and Richter-Haaser. If these performers were playing music of Bruckner, then this performance would probably have been perfect. But they weren't, they were playing Brahms, and so their performance here is merely great. No recorded performance of this work from the American side of the Atlantic is nearly as fine as this one.

The perfect recorded performance of this work is, in my opinion, pianist Eduard Mrazek with conductor Hans Swarowsky and the Vienna State Opera Orchestra (Vienna Philharmonic). It's radiant, and encompasses not just the sky but everything; I think that Brahms would have been ecstatic to hear it. That's also by far the most muscular performance of the work, which is important because Brahms's music can easily sound flabby, and often does. Furthermore, that performance has an appropriate Brahmsian angularity and physical passion; it doesn't dwell merely in the clouds. However, the Richter-Haaser Karajan recording, while perhaps a bit too meditative if not distant, is a good second choice, and is much more widely available than the Mrazek Swarowsky.

If you want to hear Richter-Haaser at his Brucknerian best, hear his recording of the last two Beethoven piano sonatas, numbers 31 and 32. After you've experienced that, your view of Beethoven's two most Brucknerian compositions will never be the same again. That recording proves, better than anything else, that Hans Richter-Haaser was one of the immortals. What a pity that many listeners, such as the other reviewers of the present recording, failed to recognize his extraordinary stature. Each one of R-H's few recordings is a precious gem, from a profound spirit. The present recording, of the Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto, is one to treasure, and rewards innumerable rehearings. Few others do.

I got this CD from Amazon.com and seemingly purchased the last one. This was the final title I needed in the EMI "Karajan Edition" series, which I have collected because I am a big fan of the conductor. Not to mention that the works featured here, Variations on a Theme by Haydn and the 2nd Piano Concerto, are my favorites by Brahms, along with the 3rd and 4th Symphonies. So if I like Herbie and these pieces, what's with the four star rating? Well, it's the little things that bug me about this disc. First, note to all CD manufacturers: Never put a "Variations" (whether it's this one or Rachmaninov's Paganini Variations) first on a disc with a Piano Concerto. There is nothing more annoying than having to track through all those Variations to get to the bread and butter performance, the Concerto! Second, while I love the Haydn Variations, particularly Variation I, Karajan tries to make it sound like an adventure in hi-fi, and there is way too much resonance in the lower registers. Save the orchestral showpiece performances for Also Sprach Zarathustra! Third, there is a noticeable splice during the transition from the solo piano part to the orchestral entrance in the first movement of the Concerto. Surely the engineers could have done better. Fourth and lastly, while Hans Richter-Haaser performs admirably on piano, he certainly doesn't bring as much to the work as do Fleisher, Gilels, Katchen, or Serkin. With all those negative critiques you'd think I hate this disc. Sure there are better buys, but for an aspiring collector such as myself, recordings like this are surprisingly essential despite their deficiencies.

Hans Richter Haaser was one of the great old school pianists of the '50s and early '60s. He excelled in some of the warhorses of the mid-19th century repertoire. And that's where he stayed. You wouldn't necessarily want him for Bartok (!!) or for Shostakovich, but he was great with Brahms and Beethoven.
The recording of the Brahms #2 is a gem, although a bit dated. I take the point from the previous reviewer that Richter Haaser was eclipsed in intensity and bravura by the Serkins, Gilels, and others. However, in this particular recording, I believe his eloquence of phrasing betters most other comers (and I've heard them all.)This is a glowing, old school rendition. Sound is acceptable, not tremendous, so if you need clean sonics and pyrotechnics there are better versions. However, I'll stick with this one.
In a similar vein, Testament has just released Richter-Haaser doing Beethoven's 4th and 5th piano concerti.....same feel.

There ought to be a moratorium on using Haydn variations for filler. This rendition is nothing special; HVK did better himself later in life. If you don't have these AND you haven't heard Richter-Haaser, then you get a bonus.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 4 reviews  3.8 out of 5 stars