COMPOSERS: Brahms
LABELS: Sony Masterworks Heritage
WORKS: Piano Concerto No. 1; Piano Concerto No. 2
PERFORMER: Leon Fleisher (piano)Cleveland Orchestra/George Szell
CATALOGUE NO: MH2K 63225 ADD 1957-62
Leon Fleisher’s career was interrupted for many years by illness a few years after the last of these recordings, but is here resurrected in all its youthful brilliance. His Brahms is underpinned by a solid Classicism – particularly striking in brave and magnificent performances of the Waltzes and the Handel Variations. The concertos glow with a verve and vibrancy that Szell characteristically never allows to run into hysteria. A golden age for both orchestra and soloist has its memorial. Christopher Wood
Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 1; Piano Concerto No. 2
Leon Fleisher’s career was interrupted for many years by illness a few years after the last of these recordings, but is here resurrected in all its youthful brilliance. His Brahms is underpinned by a solid Classicism – particularly striking in brave and magnificent performances of the Waltzes and the Handel Variations. The concertos glow with a verve and vibrancy that Szell characteristically never allows to run into hysteria. A golden age for both orchestra and soloist has its memorial. Christopher Wood
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:28 pm