Amazing pieces of classical music - 33
Ludwig van Beethoven's so-called "Triple Concerto" in C major, Op. 56, a concerto for violin, cello and piano with orchestra, composed between 1803 and 1804, in a performance from May 1960 with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, soloists Wolfgang Scheiderhan (violin), Pierre Fournier (cello) and Géza Anda (piano) under the splendid direction of Ferenc Fricsay only three years before his death.
Although Fricsay suffered from repeated illnesses throughout his life, he finally succumbed to cancer of the stomach in February 1963 at the age of 48 years. Like many classical music lovers I do believe that his passing away when he did was a real tragedy. He was in fact a great conductor and pivotal figure in the rebuilding of German musical life after World War Two.
On average, the recording itself is incredibly balanced, harmonious, transparent, fresh, and inspired. The three soloists play so well together (and with the orchestra), as if they were a piano trio that had been playing for decades, but then with the virtuosity and poise of world-class soloists. "Joie de vivre" is a word that characterizes this Beethoven piece and this recording well.
Moreover, this recording reveals to the listener all the nuances of the often underrated composition. The choice for the three solo instruments effectively makes this piece of classical music rarther more a concerto for piano trio. Moreover, it's actually also the only concerto Beethoven ever completed for more than one solo instrument, and the only concerto he wrote for cello in particular.
Fricsay leads a sensitive, many-sided performance and charts the course of the first movement (Allegro), guiding the tenderly nostalgic opening to unfold logically toward its more positive, forward-looking conclusion (with the second movement, Largo attacca) which shares with the final movement's (Rondo alla polacca) assertive energy. .
Every musician puts the written music first in a true fashion without having to resort to any gimmick of any kind. Tempi, orchestral dynamics and balance seem to happen in a most natural, simple manner, allowing the music to flow to the point of timelessness. The artistic merit of both Anda and Fournier shine through, and the end result is simply overwhelming
[media=https://youtu.be/Dq3YID0dc8k]
Although Fricsay suffered from repeated illnesses throughout his life, he finally succumbed to cancer of the stomach in February 1963 at the age of 48 years. Like many classical music lovers I do believe that his passing away when he did was a real tragedy. He was in fact a great conductor and pivotal figure in the rebuilding of German musical life after World War Two.
On average, the recording itself is incredibly balanced, harmonious, transparent, fresh, and inspired. The three soloists play so well together (and with the orchestra), as if they were a piano trio that had been playing for decades, but then with the virtuosity and poise of world-class soloists. "Joie de vivre" is a word that characterizes this Beethoven piece and this recording well.
Moreover, this recording reveals to the listener all the nuances of the often underrated composition. The choice for the three solo instruments effectively makes this piece of classical music rarther more a concerto for piano trio. Moreover, it's actually also the only concerto Beethoven ever completed for more than one solo instrument, and the only concerto he wrote for cello in particular.
Fricsay leads a sensitive, many-sided performance and charts the course of the first movement (Allegro), guiding the tenderly nostalgic opening to unfold logically toward its more positive, forward-looking conclusion (with the second movement, Largo attacca) which shares with the final movement's (Rondo alla polacca) assertive energy. .
Every musician puts the written music first in a true fashion without having to resort to any gimmick of any kind. Tempi, orchestral dynamics and balance seem to happen in a most natural, simple manner, allowing the music to flow to the point of timelessness. The artistic merit of both Anda and Fournier shine through, and the end result is simply overwhelming
[media=https://youtu.be/Dq3YID0dc8k]
