Brahms
Piano Concerto No. 2; Three Intermezzi, Op. 117
Francesco Piemontesi (piano); Gewandhausorchester Leipzig/Manfred Honeck
Pentatone PTC5187461 61:03 mins
Francesco Piemontesi and Manfred Honeck’s account of the mighty Piano Concerto No. 2 announces itself within moments as one of the most satisfying and inspiring Brahms performances that I’ve heard in a long time.
Piemontesi plunges straight into the essence of this rugged yet velvety score. There’s an ineffability to his sound as he responds to the opening horn calls, transparent and empathetic; and soon he is channelling elemental energy through the octave-rich heights. This is direct Brahms, striving for superhumanity – and achieving it, yet without any affectation. It’s exultant and masterly pianism, offering a vast range of expression from magical introspection to mountain-range power, as well as gentle wit in the finale.
Partnering him, the Leipzig Gewandhausorchester under Honeck produces a sound gloriously well-suited to Brahms: sepia, dusky and radiant all at once. The Andante’s cello solo is warm and collegial, though sadly the principal cello is not named in the booklet. Recorded in concert in Leipzig, the performance has all the advantages of extra adrenaline; and the technical sound quality is as excellent as that of a top-notch studio. Completing the picture, there are superb booklet notes by Jan Swafford, plus insightful contributions from Piemontesi and Honeck themselves.
Piemontesi declares that the piano is ‘neither a percussion instrument nor a typewriter’ – amen to that (it would be better classified as a stringed instrument) – and he plays it as an extension of his sonic imagination. The Three Intermezzi are sympathetically idiomatic and touching. In short: hear this now.
