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Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 is my favorite piano concerto and this is my favorite performance of the B-Flat Concerto – albeit there are other versions that I’d strongly recommend having as well. The superb 24-Bit remastered Decca sound, magnificent performances by Backhaus and Böhm and the perfect balance between conductor and pianist raise this performance, in my opinion, to the top.
One of the beauties of the sound quality on this CD is that I have some CDs where the sound of the horn and piano at the opening of the 1st movement is excellent but when the full orchestra enters the orchestra sounds boxy, blurred and muffled. The PantaTone SACD [which I would not recommend] with Misha Dichter and Kurt Masur conducting the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra typifies this problem. When the full orchestra enters on this Backhaus/Böhm CD, however, the orchestra comes through clearly and with excellent instrumental detail.
While the 24-Bit remastered sound is superb, this Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 performance is also available on a number of different SACD versions. I purchased one in December, 2016 from Amazon Japan for about (the Japanese Yen equivalent of) $54.00. It has only Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 and is a single layer SACD (i.e. will not play of a regular SACD player). Checking the Amazon Japan cite I see a Hybrid SACD version which also contains Mozart’s 27th Piano Concerto but it sells for upwards of (the Yen equivalent of) $90.00. A web search also indicates that Esoteric (Japan) issued an SACD version of this Backhaus/Böhm performance. Given the high cost a better alternative may be to purchase a “Super High Material” (SHM) regular CD version which is available for (the Japanese Yen equivalent of) about $16.00 on the Amazon Japan site. However, I mention these only as possible alternatives for listeners wanting audiophile versions; to my ear the sound quality of the Legends Series 24-Bit remaster is superb.
The other Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 performances I’d strongly recommend include:
1. Maurizio Pollini with Claudio Abbado and the Vienna Philharmonic (1976 performance). This is available on the Amazon Japan site in single layer CD format (i.e. will not play on regular CD players) for about (the Japanese Yen equivalent of) $39.00.
-- A less expensive alternative would be Maurizio Pollini with Claudio Abbado and the Berlin Philharmonic (1997 performance). While not, to the best of my knowledge, available in SACD format, the Amazon Japan site offers a version in “4D” Deutsche Grammophon (DG) sound. While I would not characterize the sound on DG CDs as poor, their sound generally falls far short of the Decca sound quality but my experience with DG “4D” sound CDs has been overwhelmingly positive.
2. Sviatoslav Richter with Erich Leinsdorf and the Chicago Symphony (1960 performance). This is a robust and intense performance that has rightly gained extensive acclaim over the years. Unfortunately, the recorded sound of this performance, originally recorded by RCA I believe, falls significantly short of the standards achieved by Decca, albeit recent reissues, particularly the DSD reissue mentioned below, have improved the sound quality. While some might characterize this Richter/Leinsdorf performance of the 1st, 2nd and 4th movements as fast or brisk, I think the better characterization is robust and intense – in a work that is particularly conducive to a robust and intense interpretation. At the same time, Richter’s performance of the 3rd movement is tender and develops the full beauty of this “slow” movement. To the best of my knowledge this performance is not (yet, at least) available on SACD. Listeners who google high definition tape transfers (HDTT) can purchase an enhanced audio quality version of this Op. 83 performance. The Richter/Leinsdorf performance has been reissued numerous times; my sense is the best currently available is a DSD remastering [do a search on ASIN: B003YI3D4K] by Sony.
3. Rudolf Serkin with Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra or George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. I read once that when Sviatoslav Richter traveled to the U.S. in 1960 he created a (favorable) stir on a musical world dominated by Rubenstein and Horowitz in terms of pianists. While I think Rubenstein’s performance of Brahms 1st Piano Concerto is rightly legendary and a must have, the most talented and most enjoyable pianist in the U.S. at that time was, in my opinion, Rudolf Serkin. Serkin’s 1960s cycle of the Beethoven Piano Concertos and Choral Fantasy [with Bernstein for P.C. 3, 5 and the Choral Fantasy; with Ormandy for P.C.s 1, 2 and 4] is sensational. Sony released those performances as part of an 11-CD 24-Bit Remaster box set in 2012 so they are now available in significantly improved sound. My understanding is Serkin recorded the Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto multiple times with Ormandy; he recorded a performance in stereo with Ormandy in 1960. He recorded Brahms’ 1st Piano Concerto with Ormandy in 1961. Serkin recorded Op. 83 with Szell in 1966 and recorded Op. 15 with Szell in 1968. While one can buy separate CDs with each of these four performances, they are also available on 2-CD sets with, respectively, Ormandy/Serkin [ASIN: B0090S4C52; JAN: 4547366069167] and Szell/Serkin [ASIN: B00E7FSNJY; JAN: 4547366202717] playing the Brahms Piano Concertos. While my sense is the Szell sets are more popular – and they are certainly easier to find – I have a slight preference for Ormandy/Serkin performances but all four performances (both sets) are extremely enjoyable. I’d recommend listeners wanting either set should get the Sony International [Japan] versions which are available on the amazon Japan site. To the best of my knowledge all four performances were originally recorded by Columbia and while the sound is acceptable, it does not reach Decca standards. The manner in which those 2-CD sets are filled out may also be a factor in determining which to select for listeners who like both Szell and Ormandy. The Ormandy/Serkin set comes with Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A-Minor, Op. 54, and two other words by Schumann while the Szell/Serkin 2-CD set comes with Bartok’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 4.
I’ll also offer a minority view regarding Emil Gilels performances of Op. 83 and op. 15 with Eugene Jochum and the Berlin Philharmonic. While I find their performance of the 2nd Piano Concerto to be reasonably enjoyable – albeit far from great – their performance of the 1st Piano Concerto is not to my taste. To my ear Gilels is lacking in the robustness needed for an excellent performance of the 1st and , 2nd movements in Op. 83 and the 1st and 3rd movements in Op. 15. By way of contrast, the Gilels/Jochum interpretations of the 3rd movement of Op. 83 and the 2nd movement of Op. 15 is excellent and their interpretation of the 4th movement of Op. 83 is also quite enjoyable. A view that is likely more mainstream is that the recorded sound of those performances is not the best and far below the sound quality of the Backhaus/ Böhm 24-Bit remastered CD. All this said, those Gilels/Jochum performances are regularly cited as among the 1, 2 or 3 “reference” performances of the Brahms Piano Concertos. I’d thus recommend listeners sample both performances on the web {where one can listen to the entire performances that have been uploaded] or simply buy a copy of used or new version of the 2-CD set on the DG “Originals” series and if you really like those performances then purchase a version of the 2-CD set is SACD which is available on the Amazon Japan site [ASIN: B01MR7SAP1; JAN: 4988031185605]. Because of the rave reviews those performances received and because Brahms is my favorite composer, I bought the 2-CD SACD set for about (the Japanese Yen equivalent of) $47.00 in December, 2017. That 2-SACD set is a hybrid SACD, meaning it will play on SACD players as well as regular CD players, but to my ear the sound quality, while improved over the regular CD, is not stellar and I would recommend against purchasing it if you do not have a SACD player.
This 24-Bit Remastered Backhaus/Böhm CD also contains a 1955 performance of Mozart’s 27th Piano Concerto with Backhaus and Bohm conducting the Vienna Philharmonic. The Brahms Piano Concert performance was recorded in 1967. The sound quality of the Mozart Concerto is not as good as the quality of the Brahms Concerto but to my ear it is still quite good and if one is primarily looking for a performance of Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 but also enjoys Mozart Piano Concertos, this performance Mozart’s 27th Piano Concerto is an added bonus which also makes this an extremely generous CD in terms of playing time (almost 78 minutes in total). The Performance of the 27th Piano Concerto, in my opinion is very enjoyable and a valued addition to my collection but I’ll note that if I were to characterize one performance of the K. 595 Concerto as the most enjoyable it would be Murray Perahia’s performance with the English Chamber Orchestra.
Overall, I give this CD the highest recommendation.
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