Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Maestoso
2. Adagio
3. Rondo

Disc 2:

1. Allegro non troppo
2. Allegro appassionato
3. Andante
4. Allegretto grazioso
5. No. 1 "Capricio" in A minor
6. No. 2 "Intermezzo" in A minor
7. No. 3 "Capriccio" in G minor
8. No. 4 "Intermezzo" in E major
9. No. 5 "Intermezzo" in E minor
10. No. 6 "Intermezzo" in E major
11. No. 7 "Capriccio" in D minor

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38028 in Music
• Released on: 1996-09-17
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Import, Original recording remastered

Amazon.com
These performances mount the only serious competition as a complete set to the Leon Fleisher/George Szell versions on Sony Classical. Emil Gilels was an extraordinary virtuoso who decided to place his technical wizardry in the service of the most disciplined and demanding classical masterpieces. No piano concertos live up to this description more than the two by Brahms. Himself a pianist, Brahms placed every purely musical stumbling block that he could in front of the soloist--only audiences never notice because there's no gratuitous display at all. A performer who has not mastered these pieces doesn't necessarily miss notes; he or she just bores everyone to tears. Well, Gilels is never dull, and neither is Eugen Jochum, whose spontaneous-sounding yet sensitive accompaniments support his soloist every step of the way. --David Hurwitz

Amazon.com
Emil Gilels is magisterial in these concertos, his playing volcanic and poetic at the same time. Eugen Jochum and the Berlin Philharmonic add considerable grandeur to the undertaking, spanning Brahms's long developmental arches with convincing sureness. Within the warm ambience of Berlin's Jesus-Christus-Kirche, where both concertos were recorded in June of 1972, the engineers do a good job of capturing the pianist's ringing tone. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews

Heroic - and my favorite reading hands down
These readings are legendary. I searched and searched for a good set, first trying Bernstein-Zimerman (horrid recording quailty, saggy accompaniment) then trying some older recordings (Serkin/Szell, Serkin/Fleisher, Rubinstein/Ormandy), then even a different version by the same performer (Reiner/Gilels/CSO) then going to an old favorite of mine on the keyboard (Pollini/Abbado), but I was not really a fan of a) either the ensembles' un-Brahmsian (in my opinion) accompaniment or b) the soloists' interpretations or execution. However, these recordings, when I first bought them in the old DG Galleria release, were a revelation. Gilels' playing can best be described as monumental, and Jochum's direction is Brahmsian to the core. Jochum, who always excelled in music of this level of grandeur (listen to his Bruckner!), constructs a firm yet supple orchestral line which perfectly complements the soloist. The result is a rarity in that both concertos are amongst the greatest ever readings of the works (especially for #2; only Fleisher/Szell and Anda/Fricsay come close - #1 has competition from Fleisher/Szell and Curzon/Szell). And now, with the new DG Originals transfer, the sound matches the performances; gone are the whiny strings and the somewhat hollow sound from the original transfer, and in its place we have a recording that sounds almost brand new, with great clarity on the brass, piano sound, and strings. If you must only have one recording of these two concertos, then this is the one to get. Truly desert island stuff.

a truly great recording
To my mind neither Eugen Jochum nor Emil Gilels received the acclaim appropriate to their genius while they were living. Even now it appears they are appreciated mainly by a small clique of true classical music lovers.

These two performances of Brahms' Piano Concertos are flawless. They were both recorded in 1972 when Jochum was age 69, and Gilels was 55. Two masters in their mature prime. Add to this The Berlin Philharmonic and recording by Deutsche Grammophon. This is perfect Brahms. The treatment of both concertos is equally superb, achieving a synthesis of piano and orchestra in performances of unfolding eloquence and power.

In 1987 at age 85 (a year before he died) Eugen Jochum was asked in an interview about his memory of great recordings. He singled out the 1972 Brahms with Gilels as perhaps the finest recording of his career.

Outstanding on all counts
These recordings, and the remastering in the current edition, come as close to perfection as one could possibly want. Gilels and Jochum are never excessive with music that can easily be over-interpreted. The readings are truly Brahmsian, never close to the Rachmaninov-like indulgences many take with this music, especially #2. I recall the Pollini recording of #2 with Abbado as a good example of how NOT to play Brahms. While you know you are listening to music from the Romantic era with Gilels and Jochum, you also know that you are not that far removed from the Classical era either. I have no desire for any other recordings of these works now that I have these.