Having been branded a sourpuss by countless musical friends who objected to my lukewarm broadcast assessment of Stephen Kovacevich's 1968-75 set of Bartok piano concertos (BBC Radio 3 Record Review, November 13th, 1993), I dutifully resolved to listen to them yet again. Alas, my efforts were largely in vain. I still find the recorded balance excessively biased in favour of the piano, the orchestra keen but 'loose' and the piano playing eager, even brilliant, but lacking in inflexional variety. Except, that is, in the slow movements of Concertos Nos. 2 and 3, both of which elicit a deeply poetic response from Kovacevich and Davis. My yardsticks are Anda with Fricsay and Donohoe with Rattle; had available comparisons offered anything less, I'd doubtless have welcomed this reissue with open arms. As in a sense, I still do—but not for the piano concertos.
My favourite performance here is undoubtedly the Second Violin Concerto with Henryk Szeryng and Bernard Haitink, recorded back in 1969 but still sounding wonderfully luminous and full-bodied. Szeryng plays with unabashed expressive intensity, his tone characteristically silken and well focused, his phrasing affectionate but unaffected. True, there are one or two places where ensemble sounds a mite approximate (as in the second movement's scherzo-style variations), but Haitink is in total command of the work's symmetrical design and the recording doesn't miss a trick. There are other fine versions of the concerto available, but none I think that is better than this.
The Concerto for Orchestra was recorded in 1960, three years before Haitink was appointed Music Director of the Concertgebouw. It is an underrated reading with plenty of energy and passion (especially in the first movement), piquant phrasing and the expected bonding intelligence. The sound isn't quite as good as for the Violin Concerto, but it is still excellent for its age and helps enhance what is in effect a generous bonus in a useful collection. With first-rate annotation, neat packaging and attractive presentation, this—like other reissues in the same series—is a most desirable bargain. But if the piano concertos really are your main priorities, I'd still be inclined to go 'full price' for Donohoe and Rattle: they're as keen as Kovacevich and Davis, but far better recorded and rather more imaginative.'