Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2 / Pollini, Abbado
Brahms: Piano Concerto No.2 / Pollini, Abbado
Deutsche Grammophon | 01 Oct. 1997
EAC | flac (img+cue) | no log | 178 MB
As in his recording with Böhm, Pollini is generally more erudite and persuasive. In this case, poetry and lyricism go hand in hand with an incredibly weighty and Teutonic conception of the work's progress. Speeds are generally less significant here - he is only a couple of minutes faster than Gilels. It helps, too, that the piano balance is significantly more natural in the Second Concerto than it is in the First. Both the close of the first and second movements are deliciously exciting (but gone are the days when audiences applauded after these two movements) and the interaction between piano and cello in the andante is beautifully caught.
Marc Bridle (www.musicweb-international.com)
Johannes Brahms:
Piano Concerto No.2 in B flat, Op.83
1. Allegro non troppo
2. Allegro appassionato
3. Andante
4. Allegretto grazioso
MAURIZIO POLLINI, piano
Berliner Philharmoniker
CLAUDIO ABBADO
Live Recording: Berlin, Philharmonie, Grosser Saal, 12/1995
Download: part 1, part 2.
Password: gv80