Beethoven's First Piano Concerto

Today I listened to Beethoven's First Piano Concerto in C major, op. 15. Three versions from the mid-1960s, all on vinyl: the Christoph Eschenbach/Karajan/Berliner partnership (1965), the Gilels/Szell recordings with the Cleveland Orchestra from 1968, and the Kempff/Leitner recording from 1962, also with the Berlin Philarmonic.

Beethoven's concertos are not very often on my playlist. I'm not sure why. There is no doubt these are towering masterpieces but somehow I feel this to be a different, a more lyrical Beethoven than the more vigorous and/or abstract composer of the symphonies, sonatas and quartets. 

The Eschenbach disc was a little bit of a disappointment. Despite a Keith Monks treatment the vinyl sounds worn out. I am not very familiar with the art of Christoph Eschenbach. These days he is quite prominent as a conductor (apparently he is moving on from the Philadelphia and the Orchestre de Paris to the Washington-based National Symphony Orchestra) but I have heard very little of his recordings in which he seems to focus on core repertoire (another Pathétique, another Shostakovich Fifth). Also I tend to have a suspicion about pianists-turned-conductors. I wonder whether his restrained, severe demeanour is a pose. As a pianist I only have a dim recollection of having heard some of his Mozart sonatas. Anyway, he seems to have had a particularly harrowing childhood, having lived through the atrocities of the Second World War and being robbed from speech for a year as a result. This appears to be the very first recording by Eschenbach who was 25 at the time. The cover shows a delightful picture of the young pianist and his conductor. The Berliner under Karajan are in a characteristically glorious form, sounding luxuriant and vivacious. This contrasts sharply with Eschenbach's playing which is discreet to the point of being colourless. Tempos are also taken very broadly with a particularly spacious Largo where the attention threatens to wander. The finale is not as sprightly as we might expect. The orchestra is boisterous enough but Eschenbach playing is hesitant and demure. The recorded sound of the piano - slightly hollow and glassy - is not optimal either. The partnership between Karajan and Eschenbach was, as far as I know never extended. Although the cover suggests this might be the start of the cycle, it never materialised. The recording is now out of the catalogue.There is a Gramophone review which is more positive about it than I am.

The Gilel/Szell partnership seems altogether more successful. The recording is very good with a prominent, masculine orchestra and beautifully grainy woodwinds. This Beethoven is a big-boned as you can get, marziale, clipped, and played at a more energetic tempo than the Karajan disc. Amazing how the old Szell (the music was taped two years before his death) could muster this youthfull energy! For Gilels it is not difficult to fit into this mould but his playing also shows a lyricism and vulnerability that is quite surprising. I quite liked this recording and look forward to exploring the other concertos as well. I also wish to explore a little further afield in Szell's discography of which I know very little. His biography is fascinating, stretching over seven decades and bridging two continents.

However, the recording that is likely to give me most pleasure is the classic Kempff/Leitner. This is a set that I have listened to a lot in the early days of my musical explorations. But it has been languishing in a corner of my vinyl collection ever since. The LP still needs to be cleaned so I only focused on the finale. Kempff plays wonderfully assured, witty and elegant. He also plays his own cadenzas which I quite like. Leitner accompanies with a matter of factness which is captivating. Quite a difference with the same orchestra under Karajan only three years later. The symbiosis between pianist and orchestra seems to be even more accomplished than on the Szell/Gilels recording. The sound is truly excellent with a prominent, earthy piano, a beautifully balanced orchestra and good dynamics. To be further explored when these records come back from the Keith Monks treatment.