Ronald Brautigam, Norrköping Symphony Orchestra, Andrew Parrott - Beethoven - Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 3 (2008) Hi-Res

As smooth and delicious a performance of Beethoven's First Piano Concerto as has been released since the turn of the century, Ronald Brautigam's account of the work with Andrew Parrott and the Norrköping Symphony Orchestra compares with Richter's for sparkle, with Pollini's for cleverness, and with Michelangeli's for liveliness. Brautigam's opening Allegro con brio has velocity and control, his central Largo expressivity and refinement, and his closing Rondo wit and whimsy. Parrott, the English conductor famous for his recordings of Baroque choral repertoire, and the skillful and characterful Norrköping Symphony supports Brautigam, but also challenges him, prodding him forward in developments, pulling back with him in pauses, surging together with him in climaxes. This, surely, is a model post-millennial Beethoven First Concerto.

The performance of Beethoven's Third Concerto that follows is even better. While some listeners might miss the sheer power Richter brought to the work, they will have to acknowledge Brautigam and Parrott's dramatic intensity. Written in Beethoven's fateful key of C minor -- think of the earlier Pathétique Sonata or the later Fifth Symphony -- the Third Concerto has rarely sounded as fateful as it does here. Brautigam's got the muscle for the strenuous opening Allegro con brio, the heart for the central Largo, and the guts to beat the closing Rondo and triumph in the major-keyed coda. As in the First Concerto, Parrott and the Norrköping Symphony are with him every measure of the way, helping Brautigam create a performance that can stand with the finest of the past. BIS' super audio sound has the translucence of digital sound, but with more palpable presence.