Beethoven: Piano
Concertos No. 3, No. 4 &No.5
Toronto Symphony
Orchestra/ Andrew Davis
Anton Kuerti, piano
Analekta's 1996 digital remastering and
re-release of Anton Kuerti's 1975 recording of Beethoven's sonatas
and Diabelli Variations to critical acclaim seems to have
stimulated CBC into re-issuing Kuerti's 1986 recordings of
Beethoven's five piano concertos with the Toronto Symphony under its
music director at the time Andrew Davis (they were originally
available as a 3-disc box set but have been deleted for several
years). Volume I was released last year and Volume II arrived in
stores this summer just in time for Kuerti's marathon recital of the
five Beethoven Concertos at the Lanaudière Festival. Having
personally enjoyed Kuerti's majestically strong performances at the
Lanaudière concert with the Orchestre Métropolitain conducted by
Joseph Rescigno, I thought it would be interesting to see how
Kuerti's decade-old recordings of the great cycle compared to that
live performance.
Volume II: Piano Concerto No. 3 &No. 4.
CBC Records SMCD 5179
Let me say right away that these concerto discs should please
even the most discriminating collectors. Volume II opens with the
first movement, Allegro con brio, of Concerto No. 3. Kuerti's
playing is strong and well articulated. The cadenza's intensity is
carefully balanced with the rest of the movement. At Lanaudière and
on disc Kuerti lingered on the theme in the A sections of the final
Rondo, giving it a reflective, less exuberant treatment than did Jon
Kimura Parker (for example) last May with the McGill Chamber
Orchestra. The tone of the piano used in these recordings in
Toronto's Massey Hall (perhaps Kuerti's own instrument?) sounds less
ringing and bright than the Yamaha he played at Lanaudière, though
this may be due to recording engineering. Compared to Kuerti live at
the Lanaudière amphitheatre, which has excellent natural acoustics,
the piano sounds closely miked, but never to the point of distortion
or imbalance. At Lanaudière, as on disc, the short middle movement
(Andante con moto) of Piano Concerto No. 4 was ravishing. The
Orchestre Métropolitain under Joseph Rescigno played gruffly and
dominantly at first, in stark contrast to the piano's submissive but
insistent role. By the end of the movement the piano had seduced the
orchestra and they arrived at a beautiful agreement. The same effect
is found less intensely on disc, suggesting that it is an
interpretation Kuerti has decided to emphasize over the intervening
ten years. The virtuositic performance of the last movement's finale
brings the Rondo to an exciting and vivacious close. In general
Kuerti gives the Fourth Concerto a more romantic treatment on
disc than he did in concert.
Volume I: Piano Concerto No. 5. CBC Records
SMCD 5155
This disc,
containing Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 5, Fantasia for Piano,
Chorus and Orchestra Op. 80, and the King Stephen Overture,
Op. 117 was released in 1996. The Fifth Concerto is not
my favourite composition by Beethoven but it is undeniably a
virtuoso showpiece and the Toronto Symphony matches Kuerti's crisp
articulation every step of the way. The lyrical middle movement
(Adagio un poco moto) is particularly memorable. Kuerti closed his
Lanaudière marathon with the so-called "Emperor" concerto and his
performance was all that could be expected after two hours at the
keyboard. The Toronto Mendelssohn Choir's delivery of Beethoven's
Choral Fantasia comes across balanced and clear, full of
gusto and conviction. In all of these recordings the Toronto
Symphony gives an excellent account in superb sound. In general
Kuerti's Beethoven piano concertos on CBC Records are surprisingly
close to his Lanaudière performances: proof, if proof was needed,
that Kuerti has had these works solidly in his repertoire for years.
I have no doubt that Concertos No. 1 and No. 2, scheduled for
autumn 1997 release, will be the icing on the cake of this excellent
cycle. Martin Kamela
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