It is good to see that there are now a reasonable number of versions of the Triple Concerto available for, as I have found after browsing over several of them, it is a haunting work; yet if only because of the expense of engaging there soloists, it is one we can hear only very seldom in the concert hall. And it does demand first-class players who can play well as a chamber ensemble and also as soloists of great skill (the cellist, in particular, has to spend a lot of his time in the highest reaches—Beethoven's answer to the problem of keeping him audible; and he must sing out with fine tone and as if intonation up there were no problem whatever). All the cellists on the records listed above are extremely capable in this way, as also in their general interpretations.
The American soloists on this most recent version are extremely gifted and, backed by an excellent accompaniment from the ECO and Sir Alexander Gibson, they take their place among the best of recorded teams. I particularly enjoyed the clear staccato of the orchestral second violins soon after the work's start (from bar 52) and the way Joseph Kalichstein a bit later (bar 201) emphasizes the lower notes in the left hand, so that the changes are clear. Sharon Robinson has so many high passages throughout the concerto and she plays them all with impeccable intonation and admirable artistry. The work also needs careful balancing and this has been done with the skill we have come to expect from Chandos. I would only suggest that occasionally the woodwind might have been clearer, from bar 278 in the first movement, for example, in spite of Beethoven's pp marking, surely an understatement.
It is particularly difficult to suggest a recommended version of this particular work for, as DJF wrote in his review of the Masur/HMV record, ''it may be indicative of the Triple Concerto's rather formalistic invention that all four performances are so similar in conception—there is simply less room for interpretative genius to manoeuvre''. Nevertheless, one can make a few observations. The obvious one is that a work that lasts only about 37 minutes is short measure for an LP; and the only modern recording that has any other music on it is the Masur, which has the not very exciting Beethoven Romances, Opp. 40 and 50 played by his violinist, Ulf Hoelscher: but the rather elderly HMV by the Oistrakh Trio remarkably gets the Concerto complete on to one side and on the other has nothing less than Brahms's Double Concerto in which David Oistrakh is partnered by Pierre Fournier. The recording still sounds very well, if without the dynamic range of more recent recordings. If you are interested more in interpretation than in 'hi-fi' then it is well worth considering, especially as it is now offered at budget price on EMI's Eminence label.
But if you want quality sound, then one of the newer ones must certainly be your choice. My own recommendation is based not only on the performance as a whole, but mainly on that of the finale. In the past I used to complain that this was usually played too slowly and with its opening tune given in a spineless sort of way without any hint of Beethoven's direction alla Polacca. None of these present recordings disappoints in this way and all are played fairly swiftly and with a dance-like character. But the finest of all is the later Karajan (DG), where Yo-Yo Ma gives it a spring and zest that are incomparable, better even than Rostropovich on Karajan's earlier HMV version.
But I wouldn't mind owning any of the above, including this latest one. If you are able I would suggest trying the start of the finale on all versions.'