BEETHOVEN Triple Concerto (Haitink; Equilbey)
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: Ludwig van Beethoven
Genre:
Orchestral
Label: LSO Live
Magazine Review Date: 05/2019
Media Format: Super Audio CD
Media Runtime: 67
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: LSO0745
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Bernard Haitink, Conductor London Symphony Orchestra Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer Maria João Pires, Piano |
Concerto for Violin, Cello, Piano and Orchestra |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Bernard Haitink, Conductor Gordan Nikolitch, Violin Lars Vogt, Piano London Symphony Orchestra Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer Tim Hugh, Cello |
Composer or Director: Ludwig van Beethoven
Genre:
Orchestral
Label: Erato
Magazine Review Date: 05/2019
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 53
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 9029 55057-3
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Fantasia for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Anaïck Morel, Mezzo soprano Bertrand Chamayou, Piano Florian Sempey, Bass Insula Orchestra Laurence Equilbey, Conductor Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer Sandrine Piau, Soprano Stanislas de Barbeyrac, Tenor |
Concerto for Violin, Cello, Piano and Orchestra |
Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer
Accentus Ensemble Alexandra Conunova, Violin David Kadouch, Piano Insula Orchestra Laurence Equilbey, Conductor Ludwig van Beethoven, Composer Natalie Clein, Cello |
Author: Andrew Farach-Colton
The Triple Concerto, originally issued with Haitink’s Beethoven symphony cycle, finds a happier balance between refinement and vigour. The expansive opening movement is flexibly paced and seems to range over a wider emotional territory than usual – listen starting at 13'20" for a lovely sample of the musicians’ collective suppleness. The rapt, dreamy atmosphere of the Largo is beautifully realised and the finale conveys the requisite swagger. Cellist Tim Hugh shows some occasional strain in his part’s high-lying passages but on the whole the solo trio are excellent.
Erato’s disc comes from concerts recorded at La Seine Musicale, an architecturally striking new performance space on the Île Seguin, west of Paris. Laurence Equilbey’s approach to tempo is considerably less pliant than Haitink’s but her crackerjack period-instrument orchestra play with character and gusto. The solo team in the Triple Concerto, too, are extremely fine. David Kadouch uses an 1892 Pleyel that displays a glorious combination of clarity and warmth. Violinist Alexandra Conunova and cellist Natalie Clien, who use gut strings and are sparing with vibrato, have impeccable intonation. Indeed, Conunova’s tone glistens like sun on the waves of the Seine itself. If only the microphones had not been placed so close to the soloists. Not only is the balance unnatural but there’s hardly any play of light and shade, something that comes through in the LSO recording despite its rather dull sound.
The Choral Fantasy is even more oddly balanced. Pianist Bertrand Chamayou is so closely miked that there’s no sense of him playing softly at all. His piano trills here come across more like alarm bells. Interpretatively, he’s quite straightforward – always musical, but there’s little sense of fantasy. Accentus, Equilbey’s superb choir, and the fresh-voiced solo group are all in fine form. Perhaps the engineers need time to figure out the auditorium’s acoustics – the Choral Fantasy was recorded at the venue’s inaugural concerts. It’s a pity, in any case. Neither performance would be a top recommendation but both communicate a real sense of joy.
Discover the world's largest classical music catalogue with Presto Music.
Gramophone Digital Club
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £8.75 / month
SubscribeGramophone Full Club
- Print Edition
- Digital Edition
- Digital Archive
- Reviews Database
- Full website access
From £11.00 / month
Subscribe
If you are a library, university or other organisation that would be interested in an institutional subscription to Gramophone please click here for further information.