Rudolf Buchbinder, piano; various orchestras and conductors. DG 486-0494 (3-disc set).
By John J. Puccio
When I saw the name “Rudolf Buchbinder” on the cover of this set, I recognized one thing immediately and another thing a moment later. I realized I was familiar with the name, probably because this Czechoslovakian-born, Austrian classical pianist (b. 1946) has been around for almost as long as I have; has played in most of the world’s top concert halls and with most of the world’s top orchestras; and has made dozens of recordings spanning over sixty years in the business of making music. But then I also realized that I hadn’t heard a single thing the man had ever played, whether on record or in person. How could this be? Maybe he’s more popular in Europe than in America? I dunno.
In any case, the present album is, according to Amazon, Buchbinder’s third recording of the complete Beethoven piano concertos, these present ones made live in 2019 and 2020, just before the onset of the pandemic. And the names involved are all the best in the business: the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Nelsons; the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Jansons; the Munich Philharmonic under Gergiev; the Staatskapelle Dresden under Thielemann; and the Vienna Philharmonic under Muti. The names don’t get much bigger than that. So, yes, Buchbinder is a world-class pianist. Does he deserve the adulation and honors he has received over the decades? Judging by the current album, certainly; although I would by no means declare any of these performances definitive or surpassing the dozens of fine recordings already available, separately or in complete sets. For that honor he would have had to impress me more than Kovacevich, Perahia, Richter, Ashkenazy, Brendel, Gilels, Kempff, Arrau, and others, which he didn’t do. So, no, I wouldn’t classify the present set as the final word on the subject, even though it has its merits.
The program opens on disc one with the Piano Concerto Nos. 1 in C major, op. 15, with Andris Nelsons leading the Gewandhaus Orchestra accompanying Buchbinder. Beethoven wrote the Concerto No. 1 in 1795, premiered it with himself as soloist, and then revised it slightly in 1800. Like Concerto No. 2, the first concerto is sort of Beethoven light, still showing the earmarks of Mozart and Haydn in its style and execution. It sounds more blithe, more carefree, than the composer’s later concertos. The Gewandhaus Orchestra was already an established ensemble by the time Beethoven arrived on the scene, so we would expect them to know the music inside out. Maestro Nelsons leads a fairly spirited orchestral accompaniment, while Buchbinder maintains a clear, classical line. Although his playing may not be so playful or youthful-sounding as some other performers, it is certainly smooth and accomplished. Every phrase is tenderly served, the slow movement particularly sweet, resulting in a carefully structured, easy, and charming interpretation.
Coupled with No. 1 on disc one is the Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19, which Beethoven published in 1795 but had been working on since around 1787. Here, Mariss Jansons and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra accompany the soloist. Buchbinder appears a bit more relaxed and free this time around, and his playing technique is really a marvel of dexterity and drive. Yet while he can be quite forceful, he is also quite warm and delicate when need arises. Still, he doesn’t strike me as being as flowing or affectionate in his reading as Kovacevich. While both he and Jansons seem to miss some of the mischievousness of the final movement, they give it their professional best and still produce an accomplished reading.
Disc two opens with the Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, Buchbinder accompanied by Valery Gergiev and the Munich Philharmonic. No. 3 is a kind of transitional concerto for Beethoven, not quite in the league with Nos. 4 and 5 but clearly on a road away from Mozart and Haydn. Beethoven premiered it in 1803 along with his Second Symphony, with himself again as the concerto’s soloist. Here, we get into the more dramatic, more Romantic Beethoven that we all know and love. The piano enters after a rather long-winded introduction, so it needs to be strong and energetic. That introduction, incidentally, is handled perhaps a little more solemnly by Gergiev than I would have liked, but the extra gravitas is probably a good thing. When Buchbinder does finally enter, it is with a grandeur and eloquence fully appropriate to the music. And so it goes. Buchbinder is a mite too reserved and formal for my taste, but he has an appealingly old-fashioned style to his playing that should offend no one.
The second disc concludes with the Piano Concerto Nos. 4 in G major, Op. 58, with Christian Thielemann and the Dresden Staatskapelle. The Fourth Concerto is among the most mature of Beethoven’s piano concertos, as well as one of his most popular. He finished it in 1806 and premiered it in 1807 during a private concert along with his Fourth Symphony. Its first public concert came the next year in a monumental outing along with the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies and the Choral Fantasy. It would also be Beethoven’s last public appearance as a soloist, so he went out swinging. The piano enters immediately, and Buchbinder makes the most of it, establishing an imposing command of the score. He pretty much tells you “this is my music, and I don’t care if you like what I’m doing or not.” Again, I found his manner a touch too distant for my liking, but there is no denying his supreme mastery of the piano, and there is an especially deep-felt understanding of the music of the final movement.
The Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, “Emperor” gets the entire third disc to itself, which only seems apropos given the majesty and scope of its music, with Buchbinder accompanied by Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic. Beethoven wrote the “Emperor” Concerto between 1809-1810 and published it in 1811. The extended solo and orchestral introduction should have a grand and imposing presence, which Buchbinder, Muti, and the magnificent Vienna Phil accomplish with ease. It’s a big, warmhearted performance that should please most classical listeners, although it adds little to what has already been done successfully many times. I enjoyed and admired the reading while not really feeling a need to revisit it. In other words, even though it’s competent, well thought out, and well played, it seemed a trifle too mechanical to me, too perfect, not daring enough. Even the slow middle movement seemed too reserved and aloof to me, never quite reaching the expressive depths I had hoped for. Nevertheless, these are mere quibbles compared to Buchbinder and company’s unwavering sincerity and flawless execution of the score.
Producers Philipp Nedel and Florian Rosensteiner and engineers Christian Gorz and Matthias Erb recorded the concertos live at the Musikverein, Vienna and the Kulturepalast Dresden in October, November, and December 2019 and October 2020. Considering the different venues involved, the sound is pretty consistent thanks, I suppose, to the same two producers and engineers involved. It sounds particularly good for live recordings, the First Concerto appearing quite lifelike, without being too close up, one-dimensional, or overly bright. The Second Concerto sounds a tad more steely in the upper midrange and treble, but it’s still more than acceptable. The Third Concerto seems a bit warmer and softer than the preceding two, which works in its favor as a more-mature piece of music. By the Fourth Concerto, I was either getting used to the sound or it was improving dramatically. This one sounds almost exactly like a good studio recording. Finally, we come to the Fifth Piano Concerto, the “Emperor,” where the sound is a little less natural than in the Fourth, slightly harder through the midrange and a mite softer in the bass. Still and all, the sound of all five concertos is, as I say, quite good for live recordings and better than most.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
By John J. Puccio
In any case, the present album is, according to Amazon, Buchbinder’s third recording of the complete Beethoven piano concertos, these present ones made live in 2019 and 2020, just before the onset of the pandemic. And the names involved are all the best in the business: the Gewandhaus Orchestra under Nelsons; the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra under Jansons; the Munich Philharmonic under Gergiev; the Staatskapelle Dresden under Thielemann; and the Vienna Philharmonic under Muti. The names don’t get much bigger than that. So, yes, Buchbinder is a world-class pianist. Does he deserve the adulation and honors he has received over the decades? Judging by the current album, certainly; although I would by no means declare any of these performances definitive or surpassing the dozens of fine recordings already available, separately or in complete sets. For that honor he would have had to impress me more than Kovacevich, Perahia, Richter, Ashkenazy, Brendel, Gilels, Kempff, Arrau, and others, which he didn’t do. So, no, I wouldn’t classify the present set as the final word on the subject, even though it has its merits.
The program opens on disc one with the Piano Concerto Nos. 1 in C major, op. 15, with Andris Nelsons leading the Gewandhaus Orchestra accompanying Buchbinder. Beethoven wrote the Concerto No. 1 in 1795, premiered it with himself as soloist, and then revised it slightly in 1800. Like Concerto No. 2, the first concerto is sort of Beethoven light, still showing the earmarks of Mozart and Haydn in its style and execution. It sounds more blithe, more carefree, than the composer’s later concertos. The Gewandhaus Orchestra was already an established ensemble by the time Beethoven arrived on the scene, so we would expect them to know the music inside out. Maestro Nelsons leads a fairly spirited orchestral accompaniment, while Buchbinder maintains a clear, classical line. Although his playing may not be so playful or youthful-sounding as some other performers, it is certainly smooth and accomplished. Every phrase is tenderly served, the slow movement particularly sweet, resulting in a carefully structured, easy, and charming interpretation.
Disc two opens with the Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37, Buchbinder accompanied by Valery Gergiev and the Munich Philharmonic. No. 3 is a kind of transitional concerto for Beethoven, not quite in the league with Nos. 4 and 5 but clearly on a road away from Mozart and Haydn. Beethoven premiered it in 1803 along with his Second Symphony, with himself again as the concerto’s soloist. Here, we get into the more dramatic, more Romantic Beethoven that we all know and love. The piano enters after a rather long-winded introduction, so it needs to be strong and energetic. That introduction, incidentally, is handled perhaps a little more solemnly by Gergiev than I would have liked, but the extra gravitas is probably a good thing. When Buchbinder does finally enter, it is with a grandeur and eloquence fully appropriate to the music. And so it goes. Buchbinder is a mite too reserved and formal for my taste, but he has an appealingly old-fashioned style to his playing that should offend no one.
The second disc concludes with the Piano Concerto Nos. 4 in G major, Op. 58, with Christian Thielemann and the Dresden Staatskapelle. The Fourth Concerto is among the most mature of Beethoven’s piano concertos, as well as one of his most popular. He finished it in 1806 and premiered it in 1807 during a private concert along with his Fourth Symphony. Its first public concert came the next year in a monumental outing along with the Fifth and Sixth Symphonies and the Choral Fantasy. It would also be Beethoven’s last public appearance as a soloist, so he went out swinging. The piano enters immediately, and Buchbinder makes the most of it, establishing an imposing command of the score. He pretty much tells you “this is my music, and I don’t care if you like what I’m doing or not.” Again, I found his manner a touch too distant for my liking, but there is no denying his supreme mastery of the piano, and there is an especially deep-felt understanding of the music of the final movement.
The Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73, “Emperor” gets the entire third disc to itself, which only seems apropos given the majesty and scope of its music, with Buchbinder accompanied by Riccardo Muti and the Vienna Philharmonic. Beethoven wrote the “Emperor” Concerto between 1809-1810 and published it in 1811. The extended solo and orchestral introduction should have a grand and imposing presence, which Buchbinder, Muti, and the magnificent Vienna Phil accomplish with ease. It’s a big, warmhearted performance that should please most classical listeners, although it adds little to what has already been done successfully many times. I enjoyed and admired the reading while not really feeling a need to revisit it. In other words, even though it’s competent, well thought out, and well played, it seemed a trifle too mechanical to me, too perfect, not daring enough. Even the slow middle movement seemed too reserved and aloof to me, never quite reaching the expressive depths I had hoped for. Nevertheless, these are mere quibbles compared to Buchbinder and company’s unwavering sincerity and flawless execution of the score.
Producers Philipp Nedel and Florian Rosensteiner and engineers Christian Gorz and Matthias Erb recorded the concertos live at the Musikverein, Vienna and the Kulturepalast Dresden in October, November, and December 2019 and October 2020. Considering the different venues involved, the sound is pretty consistent thanks, I suppose, to the same two producers and engineers involved. It sounds particularly good for live recordings, the First Concerto appearing quite lifelike, without being too close up, one-dimensional, or overly bright. The Second Concerto sounds a tad more steely in the upper midrange and treble, but it’s still more than acceptable. The Third Concerto seems a bit warmer and softer than the preceding two, which works in its favor as a more-mature piece of music. By the Fourth Concerto, I was either getting used to the sound or it was improving dramatically. This one sounds almost exactly like a good studio recording. Finally, we come to the Fifth Piano Concerto, the “Emperor,” where the sound is a little less natural than in the Fourth, slightly harder through the midrange and a mite softer in the bass. Still and all, the sound of all five concertos is, as I say, quite good for live recordings and better than most.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
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