Schumann - Piano Concerto [Anda/ Berliner Philharmoniker]Well the Schumann Piano Concerto seems to be getting a lot of 'air play' lately, only three days ago since i was gushing about the Vogt / Rattle performance [1st June 2010].
And the more i listen to it, the more i realise it's a masterpiece, i'm so glad that i've got several different recordings of this work, each one gives me a different perspective.
This was recorded in 1964, a fairly oldish recording, it's not far of its fiftieth birthday, i must admit it's bright in the treble, and especially the orchestra can sound somewhat bass deficient, but the piano is miked better, it has a nice sonority about it, also it's recorded quite loud, so easy on that volume dial!.
Again! i enjoyed this first movement so much, it's that gentle passage five minutes in that always gets me [4:42-6:14], a simple structure, very much a wistful dialogue between the piano in the right hand, and the clarinet, each taking roughly ten seconds in a game of tag, with the orchestra making short statements inbetween, while the piano in the left hand constantly plays a gently rippling melisma, this is the most magical part of this movement, at the end the piano plays some nice fast rhythmic notes [14:29-15:32], very slightly off kilter, but perfect in the background, this is a lovely Piano Concerto.
Here's Geza Anda playing the first movement on YouTube.
