Mutter's fine DG recording of the Brahms Concerto with Karajan appeared on CD very soon after the original launch (400 064-2GH, 5/83), but this parallel account of the Beethoven dating from two years earlier has come later, possibly because the original master was an analogue recording. The results is at least as impressive warmer with more bloom than we expect with DG digital sounded recorded in the Philharmonie. As on the Brahms the soloist is placed rather close, but the sweetness and natural, easy warmth of Mutter's playing are unaffected. In all three movements this is an unusually spacious reading, with slow speeds which yet never undermine tension. Perlman's reading with Giulini (EMI), tougher and more heroic, has to remain the first choice with its excellent digital sound, but Mutter provides a splendid alternative.'