Editorial Reviews

Andante's four-disc set of Beethoven's piano concertos is a goldmine for collectors of historic recordings, especially those interested in pianists. All five concertos are included, but the latter three come in double versions, offering intriguing comparisons. The recordings span the World War II era and just beyond, 1939 to 1947, and were made in New York, London, Paris, and Dresden. It's a fascinating document of pianists of that era, with performances from some of the leading figures -- Artur Rubinstein, Rudolf Serkin, Artur Schnabel, and others. You'll get your fill of conductors, too, with podium turns from Arturo Toscanini, Bruno Walter, and Carl Böhm, to name a few. With a set of this size and depth, one can do little more than mention the performances in passing: Aria Dorfman's C Major Concerto with Toscanini is brisk and biting, as the conductor preferred, revealing a pianist deserving of greater recognition. William Kapell's magnificent B-flat Major Concerto was also recorded with Toscanini's NBC Symphony Orchestra, but under Vladimir Golschmann, and has a similar lean intensity. Marguerite Long's C Minor Concerto, recorded in Paris in 1939, differs greatly from Artur Rubinstein's version (again with Toscanini and the NBC Orchestra), the French taste for subtlety and refinement contrasting with Rubinstein's more openly thrilling approach. This was Rubinstein's only collaboration with Toscanini. Walter Gieseking and Clara Haskill, who were exact contemporaries, each offer dramatic yet elegant readings of the enigmatic Fourth Concerto. And finally, the grand Fifth, with magisterial performances from Artur Schnabel and Rudolf Serkin. The two pianists give readings that differ in many ways, but the greatest contrast here is in the sound quality; Serkin's recording was made in 1941 and Schnabel's in 1947, and the clarity and depth is far greater on the latter. In fact, a major caveat about this set as a whole is the quality of the sound. Don't expect pristine digital clarity. Old recordings are scratchy, and while Andante has done an admirable job cleaning them up, there's still a lot of surface noise and only a modicum of depth, especially with the earlier recordings. Still, here is an invaluable collection that will reward many hours of listening, full of impossible-to-find gems by some of the great performers of the past. The set includes notes on the Andante collection and their remastering process, as well as biographies, critical essays, and excerpts from the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. EJ Johnson, Barnes & Noble

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