Nikolaj Koppel - Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 / Variations on a Theme by Haydn (2003)
BAND/ARTIST: Nikolaj Koppel
- Title: Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 / Variations on a Theme by Haydn
- Year Of Release: 2003
- Label: Warner Classics
- Genre: Classical
- Quality: flac lossless (tracks)
- Total Time: 01:11:46
- Total Size: 310 mb
- WebSite: Album Preview
Tracklist
01. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in D Minor: I. Maestoso
02. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in D Minor: II. Adagio
03. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in D Minor: III. Rondo. Allegro non troppo
04. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Tema, Chorale St. Antoni, Andante
05. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 1, Poco più animato
06. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 2, Più vivace
07. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 3, Con moto
08. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 4, Andante con moto
09. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 5, Vivace
10. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 6, Vivace
11. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 7, Grazioso
12. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 8, Presto non troppo
13. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Finale, Andante
I’m assuming, rightly or wrongly, that Nikolaj Koppel is the son of the celebrated Danish composer-pianist Herman David Koppel. The CD biography is singularly unhelpful on that one point, though there’s a certain physical resemblance and there are definite parallels in terms of playing style. Nikolaj takes a sympathetic but strong-arm view of the Brahms D minor. His tempos are broad and his handling of the noble chorale melody at 7'04'' into the first movement has a dignified, almost stoical quality that, were you to sample it first, would provide a fairly reliable clue as to where things have come from and where they’re going.
This is essentially ‘straight’ Brahms playing, largely unromantic but not unfeeling (Koppel softens his approach somewhat for the more florid passages that follow on from the chorale). The big octave declamations at 11'46'' are rock-steady and when the central argument heats up (egged on by the soloist at 13'59'') the effect is enhanced more through added pressure than by a quickening of the pace. I’ve heard fiercer trills at 15'21'' (when the opening tutti motif returns) and the coda is rather short on exultation; but turn to 10'15'' into the slow movement – where the soloist ascends heroically over a held bass pedal on strings – and you’ll encounter Koppel and Dausgaard at their most impressive.
The finale is more insistent than especially exciting – the opening theme is very emphatic – but then this is Allegro ‘non troppo’ and the slightly slower tempo suits the quasi-fugal orchestral passage at 5'32'' which here sounds deliciously tongue-in-cheek. Contrapuntal clarity seems to be a major priority for these performers.
If this recording doesn’t exactly sweep the board – it falls into that maddening but all-too-common ‘good but not that good’ category – it remains eminently satisfying and does at least remind us of two estimable young talents. Dausgaard’s conducting is no less intelligent than Koppel’s piano playing, especially in the Haydn Variations where instrumental interconnections are carefully gauged and tempos very well chosen.
I played the disc on two separate systems in two different locations, finding it resplendently sonorous in my own relatively dry listening environment but a little over-reverberant in a more generous acoustic. The piano is quite closely miked but Koppel’s tone, though strong, is never overbearing. A qualified recommendation, then – primarily for those readers who fancy the coupling. Otherwise I’d opt for Kovacevich under Sawallisch, also on EMI (10/92).'
01. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in D Minor: I. Maestoso
02. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in D Minor: II. Adagio
03. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in D Minor: III. Rondo. Allegro non troppo
04. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Tema, Chorale St. Antoni, Andante
05. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 1, Poco più animato
06. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 2, Più vivace
07. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 3, Con moto
08. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 4, Andante con moto
09. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 5, Vivace
10. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 6, Vivace
11. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 7, Grazioso
12. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Var. 8, Presto non troppo
13. Variations on a Theme by Haydn, "St. Antoni Chorale": Finale, Andante
I’m assuming, rightly or wrongly, that Nikolaj Koppel is the son of the celebrated Danish composer-pianist Herman David Koppel. The CD biography is singularly unhelpful on that one point, though there’s a certain physical resemblance and there are definite parallels in terms of playing style. Nikolaj takes a sympathetic but strong-arm view of the Brahms D minor. His tempos are broad and his handling of the noble chorale melody at 7'04'' into the first movement has a dignified, almost stoical quality that, were you to sample it first, would provide a fairly reliable clue as to where things have come from and where they’re going.
This is essentially ‘straight’ Brahms playing, largely unromantic but not unfeeling (Koppel softens his approach somewhat for the more florid passages that follow on from the chorale). The big octave declamations at 11'46'' are rock-steady and when the central argument heats up (egged on by the soloist at 13'59'') the effect is enhanced more through added pressure than by a quickening of the pace. I’ve heard fiercer trills at 15'21'' (when the opening tutti motif returns) and the coda is rather short on exultation; but turn to 10'15'' into the slow movement – where the soloist ascends heroically over a held bass pedal on strings – and you’ll encounter Koppel and Dausgaard at their most impressive.
The finale is more insistent than especially exciting – the opening theme is very emphatic – but then this is Allegro ‘non troppo’ and the slightly slower tempo suits the quasi-fugal orchestral passage at 5'32'' which here sounds deliciously tongue-in-cheek. Contrapuntal clarity seems to be a major priority for these performers.
If this recording doesn’t exactly sweep the board – it falls into that maddening but all-too-common ‘good but not that good’ category – it remains eminently satisfying and does at least remind us of two estimable young talents. Dausgaard’s conducting is no less intelligent than Koppel’s piano playing, especially in the Haydn Variations where instrumental interconnections are carefully gauged and tempos very well chosen.
I played the disc on two separate systems in two different locations, finding it resplendently sonorous in my own relatively dry listening environment but a little over-reverberant in a more generous acoustic. The piano is quite closely miked but Koppel’s tone, though strong, is never overbearing. A qualified recommendation, then – primarily for those readers who fancy the coupling. Otherwise I’d opt for Kovacevich under Sawallisch, also on EMI (10/92).'
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