With clean, rhythmic playing throughout, Christian Zacharias gives fresh, alert performances of both Concertos Nos. 2 and 4, beautifully recorded, which promise well for the Beethoven cycle that EMI have in mind. I am even reminded of Wilhelm Kempff in the brightness and clarity of Zacharias's playing, which make not for a light-weight view, except in the most superficial sense, but for a concentrated one, deeply thoughtful in slow movements, sparkling and full of fantasy in the finale of No. 4. Vonk and the Dresden orchestra provide strong and spacious accompaniments warmly recorded, setting the soloist in an aptly-scaled frame.
In Concerto No. 4 Cristina Ortiz provides a fascinating comparison when, with an orchestra on a chamber scale, she gives a comparably crisp but generally more impulsive reading marked by much faster speeds in the outer movements. In the brief opening solo both Ortiz and Zacharias set the pattern—and the scale of their respective performances. Ortiz dashes it off in a bright, volatile way, not at all suggesting a profound statement, while Zacharias immediately conveys thoughtfulness without any unnecessary underlining. Like the Zacharias/EMI issue the Pickwick mid-price disc of Ortiz is very well recorded in full, well-balanced sound, but despite the smaller orchestra the inner detail is not quite so commendably clean as in the Dresden performance where passagework, whether for piano or orchestra, is revealingly sharp of focus.
In Concerto No. 2 Zacharias, as in No. 4, often recalls Kempff with his sparkling, crisp articulation, his fastish but deeply reflective treatment of the slow movement and his light, resilient view of the finale. He may lack some of the Mozartian elegance of Murray Perahia, for example, but again with weighty but sharply focused accompaniment from the orchestra, this is very apt for the young Beethoven writing his first big concerto. In No. 3 Ortiz is particularly impressive in the first movement, taken on the fast side but with fluent and agile articulation. It may all seem just a little too easy and untaxing, and neither the slow movement nor the finale sustains quite the same tension. Overall these remain refreshing unmannered readings that can be confidently recommended to those wanting a bargain issue of a generous coupling. Ortiz now only has the Emperor to come to complete her Beethoven cycle. Both she and Zacharias use the Beethoven cadenzas.'