The last great piano concerto

1909 saw the birth of what was to be the last great piano concerto, the third of Rachmaninov. It soon became a landmark in piano literature and a real shibboleth for all pianists. As you probably know already it is a sea of expressivity in all registers and pianistically a technical monster. As such, although many tried to approach it the achievers are few and trully great recordings even fewer. One of the problems is that, as for any truly great concerto, the pianist and the conductor have to be as good and have to cooperate extremely close to make it work.

Now we get to the recording in case. Horowitz left us with 3 recordings of this concerto. Preferences go to any of them yet, what makes this one special in my view is Ormandy, as I will explain it further. Probably it will suffice to say that Ormandy is the conductor that conducted Rachmaninov's performance of the concerto. Horowitz too had the maestro's blessing. Although this might sound as reasons enough to listen to it the real reason lies deeper than that. Compared to his previous two versions Vladimir is a little wiser and takes a different approach. His incisiveness is not as acute as it used to be yet he brings a whole new dimension as far as the details and profoundness of his interpretation are concerned. In this recording you can see clearly through technical fireworks all the way to the very soul of the composition. The development of the concerto is flawless and his expressivity at the keyboard lets very little room for more. As I was mentioning what makes this concerto a real landmark is Ormandy. In his hands the orchestra it's a huge mirror molding perfectly on its moods. They sound superb and when time comes to take the narrative lead they tell the rest of the story equally convincing. There is no crack in this perfect marriage. The piano and the orchestra are like the hands of an exquisite ballet dancer. Sometimes the cellos can make your heart tear apart and just the urge to hear what's next keeps you on top of things.

All in all you have to listen to this. You can try other versions that "made it" (Horowitz and Reiner, Martha Argerich's famous redemption, Ashkenazy) but I will go to this one as soon as possible.

Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto

Everyone will tell you to buy this cd for the second Rachmaninov Concerto. It is indeed an excellent version and it?s worth every penny. I would like to tell you instead some things about the Tchaikovsky Concerto. It looks that many are influenced by the review that says that there is an incompatibility between the pianist (Richter) and the conductor (Karajan). Although it is not entirely wrong I would beg to differ. It so happens that I think that this concerto like any other romantic concerto is about passion, abandon and living each moment like it is the last.

Any true or invented reason for tension between the two protagonists in this case serves so well the general cause. Let aside that the sound is superb (the instrument and the orchestra) the constant sense of urgency makes this concerto special. In fact, I like it so much that I'd say that this is my favorite version by far. Richter is in peak form and can't allow himself the luxury of being elegant with feelings and moods that aren't elegant. Karajan, conducting a Berliner that sounds as impressive as ever, has the luxury of creating exquisite landscapes for the poor piano man's fight with his daemons. The more brutal and direct the piano gets the more detailed and refined the orchestra goes creating, at least to my ears, an antithesis that puts this concerto in a different class. All three parts are as good and the logic connections between them is so strong that one can hardly say that there three and not one from beginning to end. It is so good and so convincing that I think it has the power to make Tchaikovsky liked even by those that don't like him. Do yourself a favor and listen to it. Coupled with an equally great Rachmaninov 2nd it's hard to imagine a better deal.

The master version of Nocturnes

When it comes to Chopin just a few will mention Arrau amongst the greatest of interpreters. While pianists like Cortot or Rubinstein completely deserve to be in that class there are some others that really make a very strong case of Chopin as a great composer. Claudio Arrau is one of them, for me the best of them. Everything I heard from Chopin catalogue played by Arrau is in a class of its own. And this CD is a very strong argument. Just listen the first Nocturne and enjoy the profound and self accomplished spirit that it discovers. The inner logic and the beauty of playing has no match on any other recorded version.

Chopin was no composer for the ball halls yet an agile explorer of the soul and moods. And that's why Ashkenazy would never be but a medium size interpreter of Chopin. The great musical insight of Arrau manages to walk on the roads that led to the creation of these Nocturnes and this is the best reason I can give you for buying and above all listening to these recordings. Every Nocturne is a masterpiece in itself and the Chilean master reveals all of their power and beauty with no compromise. From all the recordings only Rubistein RCA Red Seal edition and Moravec's complete set manage to reach the heart of this little jewels but any of these let me wanting to go back to Arrau.

If you like Chopin and especially the Nocturnes you owe it to you to listen to Arrau's set.

Human above all

All of you who searched for a great or true recording of Bach violin sonatas and partitas know how difficult it is to find one that shows more than effort to overcome technical difficulties and manages to express the richness of ideas and feelings that these pieces embed. Well, this is a recording that it's all music. Milstein surpassed in another life the pure technical difficulties and all it concentrates here on is to make Bach's message as transparent as possible. At one time you only hear Bach telling about love, suffering, friendship , and so many more, while the violin and the violinist himself are not a noticeable presence anymore. All you hear is sound so pure and coming so straight from the place souls are born that all is an unbelievable experience.

Talking by the fire maybe you can remember about technique, about dance, virtuosity and so many other things you might hear about this recording, but when you are just listening is all about finding things that you believe coming to you through music. You meet your inner self in a way possible only through music.

Maybe this is the best of all recorded sets (I haven't listen to all) but sure is one that can set a standard. But believe me you won't care about any classifications once you've listened to it. And make sure you have this set. Nathan Milstein has another set on EMI, yet getting older and wiser did a lot of good to his approach to this music

A very must for everyone for whom music is a life keeper.

Sometimes 5 stars don't tell the whole story

There are things, at least in recorded music, that cannot be comprised within a scale. They go beyond that and give the measure by which you can assign value to similar things. This recording is definitely one of those.

First is the overall impression. It is vivacious, humorous, so real in communicating the facts of life it contains. It is also so Mozartian. Mozart in a very inspired work of his. There are of course some things that can explain this accomplishment at this scale.

I will start with the conductor. As his many landmark recordings stand proof, Giulini is one of those rare conductors that can get in the mind and heart of the composer and express in perfect shapes the thoughts and feelings their music comprise. He also has an extraordinary sense of drama and this helps everywhere in music making and more so in opera. Last but not least he has a real gift for casting. I am not aware of all of his recordings but those I know follow the rule of very inspired casting. Just the way he casted Taddei and Wachter in this and Don Giovani recording and is a very convincing proof of that. And everything I mentioned is visible in this recording. Don't make the mistake of considering Bohm over Giulini. He is an outstanding Mozartian but the theater wasn't the most inspiring place for him. You won't find there the same drama and vivaciousness although the music is beautiful nonetheless.

Then you have the voices. The first amazing thing is the way they actually can express things, act. The voices themselves are amazing. Everything said here about damme Schwarzkopf, Moffo and the leading male parts at least is true. The greatest thing for me though is the way they act and express things. The newer generations try to produce beautiful sound, great notes and so forth and little room is left for the actual expression of characters drama. And that is a minus of any of the newer versions.

So don't make the mistake of going for other sets. The only real competition for this set is Kleiber's 1955 account which has almost the same strengths but just a poorer sound. With the rest you will never go as much to the heart of the characters, of the conlicts, of the overall humor and life-like atmosphere.

And, if you didn't already, try Giulini's Don Giovanni and you will see the same things happening once more. This is no happening. Is real music making, opera coming from real, incredible talent and science.

A glorious Aida

So far is the most rewarding Aida I have heard (and I heard Karajan's, Muti's and one of Callas' with R Tucker). Everything from conducting which is rock-solid and beautifully blended to the choir and trumpets in the march is what this opera should be about.

First and foremost is the amazing Corelli who does one of his landmark characters here. He is heroic and gentle in the same amount and could pull you up from the chair or can bring tears from your eyes in the final duet. And you must be really malintended to say that his diminuendo (amazing to almost unbelievable) is a fake. And the way it serves the moment is the mark of an outstanding artist.

And yet you can't say that this set should be called Radames. Nilsson is powerfull. Great voice sometimes a little to great for my taste but on the other hand I can't see many sopranos standing next to Corelli in the kind of shape he shows here. A very real and believable Aida. The duos with Corelli are so full of emotion, intensity and glorious voice you couldn't wish for more. Very good indeed.

Sereni is the big surprise. Even if he doesn't have the greatest of baritone voices he sounds passionate and defines his character in great and very beautiful detail. A real accomplishment.

And don't make any mistakes. Grace Bumbry comes up with an Amneris that is everything you expect her to be. You can feel her pain her deep conflict with Aida, her love for Radames all in beautiful singing.

The high priest and the choir do a very fine job completing a great Aida. It doesn't have any weak moments. It is full instead of many great ones. It is impossible to go wrong with this version of this opera.

A final mention for Mehta and his Roma opera orchestra. They sound gorgiously. I didn't feel sorry at any point missing the details of Karajan or Muti. They play with passion and strength giving the singers a prolific and inspiring sound environment. Their orchestral parts come very well as equals of great moments the singers bring.

This is an Aida that proudly stands among the Aida's that make the rules in the recording history. One of the very heavy measures for the others recordings.

Cosi should be

I must say that is is another complete accomplishment as far recording opera is concerned. I must say that Mozart operas found their fulfillment in modern recording era. The great four have all found their definitive versions. With you permission I will mention them as they deserve that: Don Giovanni and Le Nozze di Figaro with Giulini, Die Zauberflote with Klemperer and this Cosi fan Tutte with Bohm.

For me the pace Bohm choses throughout the whole recording is what it should be. The voices are great and most important the conflicts and life situations are rendered with utmost charm and credibility.

A great surprise finding in this Mozart opera Christa Ludwig who does a lovely job. Schwartzkopf is sublime as usual and she deserves the title of Mozartian soprano of the century. But I love above all the male voices in this opera. They strike you right from the beginning with fine detail and delightful nuances of their characters.

All in all you will find everything here. Good humor, very well pointed situations, great singing, powerful and extremely lively characters, great orchestra and an overall atmosphere (much to Bohm's credit) that is a good demonstration of the genius of Mozart. Definitely one of Bohm's greatest victories on disc and one of the great accomplishments in opera recording.

A masterpiece of conducting

For me Don Carlo is Verdi's masterpiece. You find here a very good libretto which makes a lot of sense (compared to Il Trovatore for example) that has a very natural balance of human drama, powerful characters with veridical evolutions and above all some of the best music Verdi composed. It is flawless, and supports with depth and detail the characters and the conflicts without weak moments or loss of "concentration".

The vocal parts aren't as demanding as others in any register. Yet, the length and the profound impact that the orchestra has in this opera and the complex turns and situations the opera encompasses make me believe that a successful Don Carlo is first of all a problem of conducting. And I think that this is why everybody turns to this recording when they have to name the best recording of Don Carlo.

For any of the vocals here you can find someone better. I personally prefer Corelli over all the others, including Domingo which here is in a very good shape and delivers a very involved and careful rendition of Don Carlo. Martti Talvela is indeed unsurpassed in the role of Grande Inquisitor, but Estes here does a very fine job. Ghiaurov's Filip is indeed overwhelming and I love him as much as the others do. But I have to say that I found Raimondi to be a revelation. Maybe his voice is a little lighter but the sensibility and expressiveness Raimondi is capable of, deliver a very refreshing and rewarding contribution to this key role. Milnes is also very good. The first Don Carlo I heard had Bastianini singing Posa. Both him and Gobbi are more rewarding in terms of tone and interpretation. But Milnes comes really close and he makes a very convincing case especially in the duos with Domingo or King Filip (a real miscast was Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, in Solti's recording). The ladies are as god as those on other recordings if not better. I really enjoy what Caballe does in the role of Elisabeta and Verrett is a very capable pair.
In conclusion the roles in this recording are handled extremely well and I can't help thinking that the star singers of some of these roles (mentioned above) were sacrificed for the unity of the cast, a good performing team.

So, in the end, everything comes to conducting. And here I think this recording is unsurpassed. The extraordinary sense of tempo that works wonders elsewhere is displayed here by Giulini in full power. And such, the opera unwraps in front of you with a "life-like" quality. Nothing is exaggerated for the sake of a particular temporary effect. But when the development of the drama asks for it power and intensity are there to deliver the goods. As usual with Giulini the orchestra is so dedicated to its conductor and you can hear inner voices inside the orchestra that you won't hear anywhere else. The characters, entirely supported by the orchestra, evolve naturally in the same right atmosphere with flawless inner logic. It is the only recording of Don Carlo which has a sense of unity and of a "single piece".

HMMMMM!

Well, it is amazing what this recording has done among music lovers. And one thing is certain that this is no usual Brahms recording. On the contrary is a pretty remarkable happening in the recorded music history.

Now, let us consider the time of its appearance. It is 1981, some good years after almost all mentioned here as real Brahms achievers, at least on disc, were gone. Neither Furtwangler, Walter, Schuricht or Mengelberg were amongst us for a while then. So this recording came, in my opinion on a very dry land as far as good Brahms interpretations were considered. I might upset some here but Karajan and Abbado are far from understanding enough of Brahms to be real contenders here (Karajan judged well that the strings of Berliner can make a very beautiful sound with parts of this compositions). Giulini was doing a fine job even though he wasn't able to go really to the heart of this music.

So, here comes mister Kleiber who makes a new case for Brahms as an outstanding composer. A recording that entered the Big League completely worthy. All the sense, drama and music of the symphony were there, the Wiener played superbly (as they do not all the time). Kleiber masters the music and his orchestra, his control is complete and as usual his artistic intelligence takes out in the open all what is buried within the notes of this symphony. And he does it so energetically with such crispness and control, as many mentioned here. And I think that is where the whole thing suffers from my point of view.

It is true that Brahms' music is tragic and full of human passions and conflicting feelings. But can you really see the big bearded man as being so crisp, so precise in his burst of energy, so "modern" lets say? I cannot. And that's why I am missing in this recording the warmth and deep yet intense and demanding expression of "humanity" you find in Walter or the very natural and less controlled yet more powerful dramatic accents you find in Furtwangler. For me, here, between these two, one can find the ultimate expression of Brahms, as a complete musical and human experience.

Mr Kleiber gets four stars for understanding and expressing everything so well, with such perfection but is denied the last star for being to perfect and calculated. Briskness is not something that helps in Brahms in my opinion. As well as two focused energy.

Try to listen as many recordings as possible to get the one that really "sings Brahms" to you.

End of the road

This is what I felt when I finally got to listen to these concertos after couple of years of intense searching. Although technically maybe not so difficult as said everywhere, I found them extremely difficult as far as music and 'the right tone' goes. Horowitz once said that nowadays people play Mozart like Chopin and vice-versa. And this is true for many of the recordings with violin concertos. None I've listened before really told the story of these concertos. I got as close as I could with Mutter/Karajan and Perlman/Levine. Yet sometimes the violin was to impersonal (Mutter) or the orchestra not quite on the subject (Levine). This Christmas I finally got to listen to Grumiaux of which I've heard before and let me tell you this: everything you read here is true. Grumiaux is playing the whole Mozart in these concertos. I'd go as far as to say that is is one of the best Mozart 'incarnations' in sound in all recorded music history. He is elegant, wonderful and full of understanding phrasing. Everything is there in full range. Colin Davis does, as usual, a great job accompanying an outstanding performance in every aspect. Even those of you who only enjoy a very good recorded sound have all the reasons to be happy. It hardly can get better than this. But Grumiaux deserves all appraisals above all. What he does is extreme and sweet justice to Mozart and to his music.

Definitely a great CD

When it comes to buying one of Beethoven symphonies on disc usually you have to choices: to go with the classics (Furtwangler, Klemperer, Walter) and their powerful and insightful approaches or to get a more modern approach (to Hogwood) sometimes with pretty strange results. To find a recording that stands somewhere between, that is both emotionally powerful and yet full of energy of our time the choice isn't easy. And that's where Kleiber comes in. With an extremely responsive orchestra and impeccable recorded sound Kleiber gets the perfect balance between classic and modern interpretation. All the tension we were used with by conductors like Furtwangler and all the grip of someone like Karajan is there in a perfect combination of something that must be one of the landmarks in recorded Beethoven and in recorded music of all times. Buy this CD and listen to it. It's as rewarding as people here say. Definitely an essential recording.

Opera its not necessarily about the prettiest of voices

And this recording of Rigoletto is one of the best proofs. Perhaps Callas didn't have the prettiest of soprano voices but all those who love her love the enormous amount of things she was so able of transmitting. She is a painter of extreme insight and of fine nuances and not one of great frames. The way you can understand every detail of Gilda's feelings and moods without understanding even a word takes discussion at another level than those of great voices. Damme Sutherland as much as she tries never gets at the same level. And so being her character is weaker and less involving.

Same but not all is true about Gobbi's Rigoletto. Listen the way he can cry and scream in "Cortigiani, vil razza dannata" and you will find anything else unsatisfactory. Not all is true because I actually think Gobbi has one of the most beautiful and versatile baritone tone in the recorded music. But again his charm and uniqueness comes from the extraordinary capability of describing in singing his character sometimes more than music itself could do.

Last but not least you have the authoritative direction of Tulio Serafin "the opera conductor" of those days with great knowledge of his favorite cast. He lets the tempo breath there were the drama get more intense and his singers need to define in great detail the feeling. And they do it in such a rewarding style. Just listen to the final quartet of this opera and everything will became clearer than I could ever express in words.

And lets not forget Di Stefano. This is a count you can believe and understand not just a proof that higher notes can be perfect. What is the use of perfect highs when you don't understand anything. Don't get me wrong. Di Stefano's voice is in great shape and by no means he loses to Pavarotti in the amount Pavarotti loses to him in all other aspects.

This is one of the rare complete exemplars of the "Golden Age" of opera making and singing. Beautifully sung, so profound in every nuance and full of nuances, so nicely conducted through a beautiful and really dramatic end.

An amazing achievement

Verdi's Requiem, like many of his later works, is extremely demanding when comes to bringing it to life in full strength. You need powerful orchestral and choral forces, extremely potent and expressive voices and of course a really insightful conductor capable of holding all together and making the drama and meanings come to life.

Fortunately it looks that everyone who tried approaching this masterpiece tried its best. But among them are the real achievers. And I will mention only the three of them I think really need to be mentioned in this context: first, at least historically, is Da Sabata. I am one of not so many lucky listeners who has his edition featuring Maria Caniglia. And that is an achievement approaching perfection. The next one is Toscanini with his incisiveness which works its powers all the way through his 1951 live recording. And then is the recording at hand here.

This is one of the recordings documenting the glorious (so unfortunately dawned) era of music making at its highest. It shouldn't come as a surprise that behind it one finds Carlo Maria Giulini. This is just one of his greatest achievements that are landmarking the history of music. The attention to detail, so insightful choice of tempo, the ability of conducting music so flawlessly to its highs and deep downs, the ability of using musical powers under his command to their very best and not least the profound understanding of the musical score are shown here in their full power. It grabs you from the beginning and you will find yourself under its powers ever after.

The choir might be the best you find on disc. It is highly responsive and produces some of the greatest moments of this piece. Along comes the Philarhmonia Orchestra in beautiful sound and very attentive and responsive to its masterful conductor.

The soloists are as much as you could wish for. Involved, musically perfect, rendering the amount of human drama that this piece comprises, the true voices of humanity you might say. I am especially delighted with Christa Ludwig which seems a different singer from her recording under Karajan (recording available from Deutsche Grammophone) and Ghiaurov who displays such a sensibility along with his powerful voice. Damme Schwartzkopf and Gedda are also very good although I couldn't stop myself dreaming at Franco Corelli, giving the amazing musical power unleashed here (you can hear him in the recording of the Verdi requiem under Mehta).

As one of the other reviewers mentioned if you want only one recording of Verdi's Requiem you have to have this one. You will hear inner voices inside the orchestra, choir and soloists you will not hear anywhere else. The only real threat to this recording is Da Sabata's which is set back just by a poorer sound which makes it harder to come out with the greatest effect.

Signore e signori, Il Barbiere!

What a recording this is! Witty, funny, grabs you, puts you in the middle of the action and doesn't let you go all the way to the end. You will find yourself cheering happily when it is over and you will think that these are the actual characters coming all the way from Seville to sing for you.

Everybody is in excellent shape but the real difference is made by the unity and the flawless unfolding of the intrigue. Every single role is convincing and consistent throughout the opera, the orchestra plays beautifully and supports with such energy and humor the voices. Callas is in perfect mood and in excellent voice. Her Rosina is the best available. Listen to "Una voce pocco fa" and be amazed by all the nuances you can find there. Mr. Gobbi is again the voice and the actor in one of his best recorded performances. I must agree with one of the reviewers in saying that his Figaro is the best on disc. He displays too a very beautiful voice and an amazing characterization of Figaro. Their duet in the first act is a glorious moment of recorded opera. They tell so much besides what their words are actually communicating. The rest of the cast comes nearly as equals and everybody seemed to understand the in the same way what this opera is about and what each and all of them have to say in it.

All in all it is a great recording. Great music making, solid and expressive characters, good and entertaining drama, good laughs everything the Barbiere should be in my opinion.

An intriguing Traviata

When I first saw this recording in a DG catalog I didn't pay much attention to it. In my youthful ignorance I thought that Cotrubas cannot be a serious contender for this much demanding and loved opera role. Time went by I get to know Mr. Kleiber accomplishments quite well and here I am listening to his Traviata.

The opening is absolutely superb in its quiet intensity but then things get pretty "energetic" (a Kleiber trademark). One would say that there is no way Traviata can face such an energetic approach. You will destroy everything that this opera is about. And yet I am stroke again by the artistic intelligence Mr. Kleiber displays in all his recordings. The intelligence that brings to light all dark corners of a certain composition works its way again and maybe even better than in some of his orchestral recordings (Brahms' 4th is the first that comes to mind). All the nuances o this drama are in place very well-balanced. The music really flows on the evolution of the characters in the most agreeable way.

The leading characters are also worthy to mention. For me first of all comes Domingo which is in very beautiful voice but more involved and convincing than he usually is. A really strong and enjoyable performance (I don't think that Pavarotti is an option for Alfredo). Milnes is indeed a very beautiful Germont. Beautiful voice, nice approach to the character. I especially liked that I didn't find him so "pushy" as some of the other singers feel that have to approach this role. The only one better on disc I can think of is Nicolae Herlea. Last but not least comes Cotrubas. Well, she hasn't the biggest of voices nor the most beautiful one, and yet she is so good of a Violeta. Of all Violetas she is the only one that reminded me of Dumas' character description. She sings well (I think that the technique is just the one that saves her perfomance) she is fragile and so helpless in defeating her fate. I must admit that I am addicted to the power Callas brings to the character but this is a very good and full of meaning performance.

I let the sound for the end as is the least important aspect. But here this recording stands out from the crowd adding a (to) much praised nowadays aspect to the recording.

All in all if you love Verdi's La traviata you can't be without this recording.

Majestic power

Brahms piano concertos are, in my opinion, incredibly difficult to turn out right. You need a pianist and a director that can produce powerful, yet sensitive sound that can express the deepest feeling and the most Cartesian of ideas. That could sound like an almost impossible task. Except for this recording. Both musicians are capable of great insights into both ideas and feelings, can produce miraculous sounds from their instruments and have an impeccable sense of what is right in terms of music.

Arrau plays the piano score with majestic power, with a flawless logic both musical and ideatic and lights the darkest corners of a score that is anything but simple. Giulini comes along sharing the same virtues and helps building a musical partnership of the highest spirituality. Actually, this is where I think they surpass their best competition, i.e. Gilels/Jochum: spirituality. The other set also displays a tremendous sound both in piano and orchestra, a beautiful Brahmsian style, a lot of inner logic and sheer intelligence. Yet Arrau and Giulini are capable of understanding and expressing more from what lies beyond. Not to mention the incredible capability of Arrau to produce symphonic tonalities from his instrument.

All in all, even if not acknowledged as such, I think we stay in front of the greatest of achievements, at least as far as the first piano concerto recordings are concerned and I doubt that you can find better. I searched for 10 years and visited the most spoke about and respected "places", but none is quite like this.

The absolute Beethoven

Finding an absolute interpretation of a Beethoven work is a very difficult undertake, yet finding a revelatory interpretation of the last two piano concertos is even more difficult. One would need two interpreters of the same caliber able to communicate perfectly with each other. For a while I thought that happened only in the case of the Emperor of Furtwangler and Edwin Fisher. And out comes this box from Testament as another proof that musical miracles can happen.
And what a miracle. At first I couldn't believe that the most profound Beethovenian pianist, i.e. Arrau, and the Dean of the Beethovenian conductors played together. But they did and the result is fabulous. The music is born before reaching your ears, two fundamental forces of nature just erupt and become one to the very heart of Beethoven tone and message. It is a unbelievable act of creation so true and so powerfull that you forget about anything else. Arrau plays like in no other of his recordings. His spirit goes to the heart of music sharper and more insightful than anywhere else. His technique is wonderful, in what was probably the peak of his physical form. The piano is from another world to put it in one sentence.
On the other hand this is the first recording of any of the three piano concertos where orchestra is a partner of equal power and equal share to the musical drama. These are the only recordings I know (and believe me I know some) that have two main characters of the same impact and weight. Klemperer conducts his orchestra with the authority and the granitic force that are his landmark. Anywhere the fiery spirit of Arrau goes Klemperer follows with force and see-through knowledge.
As it is probably clear by now I think that these are the ultimate Beethoven piano concertos in an unearthy class of their own which only Furtwangler Fisher partnership managed to reach before.