Wilhelm Kempff, Géza Anda, Wolfgang Schneiderhan, Pierre Fournier - Beethoven: The Complete Concertos, Vol. 2 (2016)

Wilhelm Kempff's cycle of the Beethoven Piano Concertos with Ferdinand Leitner and the Berlin Philharmonic is one of the great achievements of the golden age of stereo. Kempff had already recorded a magnificent mono cycle in the mid-1950s with the same orchestra under Paul Van Kempen (recently reissued on the box set "Wilhelm Kempff: The Complete 1950s Concerto Recordings" in DG's Original Masters series -- see my review), but these new performances maintained his highest playing standards while offering the added dimension of stereo sound. Only the "Emporer" Concerto is featured on this set from DG's "2CD" series, "Beethoven: The Complete Concertos Volume 2" (Concertos 1-4 are available on its companion "Volume 1"), but purchasing all eight concertos at inflated import prices was a better alternative for me than getting only the domestic DG Originals disc of the 4th and 5th Concertos. And on Volume 2, not only do you get the conclusion of Kempff's cycle, but you also get breathtaking performances of the Triple and Violin Concertos, and the two Violin Romances, all in vintage stereo from the early 1960s. The Triple Concerto features the triumvirate of Geza Anda, Wolfgang Schneiderhan and Pierre Fournier with Ferenc Fricsay leading the Berlin RSO. Schneiderhan returns with Eugen Jochum and the Berliners on the Violin Concerto (also available domestically in the DG Originals series on a single disc coupled with Mozart's 5th VC). David Oistrakh, with Sir Eugene Goossens leading the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, performs the Romances. You may pay a little bit more for this set, but it is certainly worth it.