\ Beethoven Piano Concertos / Rudolf Buchbinder / Daniik Trifonov Bach

BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Op.15 (Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra / Andris Nelsons) (October 2019). Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat Op.19 (Bavarian Radio Orchestra / Mariss Jansons). (October 2019). Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor Op. 37 (Munich Phiiharmonic Orchestra / Valery Gergiev. (November 2019). Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Op. 58 (Dresden State Orchestra / Christian Thielemann) (May 2020). Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat Op. 73 "Emperor." (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra / Riccardo Muti) (December 2019)
Rudolf Buchbinder piano
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON CD 486 0404 (3 disks) TT: 61:21 / 64:57 / 37:32
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DANIIL TRIFONOV "The Art of Life"
DEUTSCHE GRAMMOPHON CD B0034277-02 (2 disks) TT: 74:39 / 61:59
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Austrian pianist Rudolf Buchbinder (b. 1946) has enjoyed a remarkable career. He has made many recordings and specializes in Beethoven and has recorded all of the solo piano works. Now we have his second recording of the five piano concertos, all recent recordings each with a different orchestra and conductor. Sterling performances all, excellently recorded. One surely would not forget historic recordings of the concertos by Leon Fleisher Artur Rubinstein , Rudolf Sekin, and Wilhelm Kempff. This new set is a handsome release with many intriguing photos, a class production, particularly attractive as the modest price is three disks for the price of two.

The remarkable pianist Daniil Trifonov, known best for his virtuosity in romantic concertos and showpieces, turns his attention to Bach. Trifonov said "...Bach's music is a sonic image of God's natural laws, in all their complexity. Music's purpose was in that sense the same as that of religion: to explain and exalt the mysterious. divine order of nature." The set includes many short works of Bach including The Art of the Fugue, as well as music by Johann Christian Bach, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach, Carl Philip Emanuel Bach, and Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach. We also have an oddity, the Brahms arrangement for the left hand of the Chaconne from Bach's Partita No. 2. Superb performances, and the recording captures the pianist's sensitive playing. This is a handsome presentation, and the two disks sell for the price of one.

R.E.B. (October 2021)