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For the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frédéric Chopin, the renowned Ruhr Piano Festival in Essen invited the Staatskapelle Berlin to give a truly special program: the rare combination of Chopins two piano concertos in one concert. For this purpose Daniel Barenboim, the orchestras principal conductor, handed over the reins of his ensemble to up-and-coming young conductor Andris Nelsons, assuming the role of piano soloist instead. The press raved: Storms of applause for a dream couple: Daniel Barenboim and Andris Nelsons won over the audience [] with their rousing Chopin interpretations. While Barenboim fills the solo parts with pulsating life and dance-like grace, the exciting young talent Andris Nelsons dazzles with his magnetic physical presence and the broad gestures with which he fi res on or pulls back his enthusiastic musicians. Nelsons opens the concert with a rousing account of Joseph Haydns Symphony No. 44, the Mourning Symphony. Chopin wrote the two piano concertos when he was only 19 and 20; they were among the last works that he composed in Poland before leaving for France. Filled with youthful fire and freshness, the works showcase the pianists virtuosity, and contain much of interest for the orchestral musicians as well, including poignant solo interludes for clarinet and bassoon.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Hard on the heels of the excellent Warsaw 2010 Accentus production (the Chopin concertos with Demidenko, Kissin and Wit, see my review) comes Barenboim with the Staatskapelle Berlin conducted by Andris Nelsons in a live recording from the 2010 Ruhr Festival. A direct comparison is not productive, because the three soloists - each technically perfect and very much in tune with the music's idiom - display a radically different approach to the concertos: where Demidenko is thoughtful and introverted, Kissin temperamental and overwhelmingly brilliant, Barenboim appears to be exploring the spirit of these scores anew in an almost searching way. He can be ham-fisted and hard- hitting (see his DVD recording of the Beethoven concertos), but certainly not in his approach to Chopin which is refined and sensitive to every nuance. His performances are fresh and unique and I will return to them often. The Staatskapelle under the baton of the inspired and enthusiastic Nelsons marvelously supports him every step of the way. The Haydn E minor symphony is a nice filler and played very well. The video is very good. As to the audio, I can not quite agree with John R. Springer. I find the (stereo) soundtrack more than acceptable and fairly free from distortion, though not among today's best. If you love Chopin, get this disk.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
1 review
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful
Beautiful fresh readings
15 Oct 2011
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Hard on the heels of the excellent Warsaw 2010 Accentus production (the Chopin concertos with Demidenko, Kissin and Wit, see my review) comes Barenboim with the Staatskapelle Berlin conducted by Andris Nelsons in a live recording from the 2010 Ruhr Festival. A direct comparison is not productive, because the three soloists - each technically perfect and very much in tune with the music's idiom - display a radically different approach to the concertos: where Demidenko is thoughtful and introverted, Kissin temperamental and overwhelmingly brilliant, Barenboim appears to be exploring the spirit of these scores anew in an almost searching way. He can be ham-fisted and hard- hitting (see his DVD recording of the Beethoven concertos), but certainly not in his approach to Chopin which is refined and sensitive to every nuance. His performances are fresh and unique and I will return to them often. The Staatskapelle under the baton of the inspired and enthusiastic Nelsons marvelously supports him every step of the way. The Haydn E minor symphony is a nice filler and played very well. The video is very good. As to the audio, I can not quite agree with John R. Springer. I find the (stereo) soundtrack more than acceptable and fairly free from distortion, though not among today's best. If you love Chopin, get this disk.
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