Anton Kuerti - Brahms: Piano Concerts and Piano Solo Works (2005)

This is another solid performance by Anton Kuerti of some of the classics in the piano repertoire. He is such a well-rounded musician, who understands the balance between structure and expression, which is particularly important in Brahms' larger works like the piano concertos here. Kuerti doesn't let the emotion become the be-all and end-all of the works, but he isn't giving a dry, academic reading either. Amid the yearning moments, the heroic moments, and the wistful moments, the listener can hear themes being broken apart, re-used, and transformed. A couple of things that make this all the clearer are Kuerti's tone and the quality of the recording. Kuerti never pounds at the keyboard, even in the loudest parts of the music, so that his rich tone blends extremely well with that of Brahms' deeply colored orchestra. The sound of the piano in these performances is much closer than many piano concerto recordings, allowing it and the orchestra to be more partners than adversaries. The last disc in the set contains several of Brahms' last opuses for solo piano. These pieces are more about expression than form, but Kuerti makes them personal, reflective statements rather than overt mini-dramas. They are gentle, touching pieces, even at their most dramatic in the Rhapsodies, Op. 79. Kuerti captures the meditative nature of these late works in a way that makes them seem very personal to him, but also lets the audience share in them without feeling as if they are intruding.