Brahms - Piano Concerto 2 [Ax/Haitink-Boston Symphony Orchestra]
A very satisfying experience whilst on the way to Church, it is a truly wonderful Piano Concerto, i first heard Brahms's Piano Concerto 1 first, and quickly gained a strong appreciation for it, the Second came a while later, and seemed to be lighter, but now i seriously liken them to a pair, they're at least the equal of each other, and i'm certainly warming to the possibility that this may even be the better of the two, certainly in the first three movements i was in tremendous awe of Brahms's writing, what a very special piece it is, and this is a great interpretation too, if i was sitting down i would be on the edge of my seat!.
Emanuel Ax is 63, he was born in the Ukraine, he recorded this work in 1997, the front cover photograph [by Waring Abbott] is excellent, though Haitink is slightly out of focus, and looks really old, it's Ax's face that is in focus, and the greys and blacks give a monotone feel, though i like Haitink's jacket, a mesh of black and white, i used to have a suit like that, i like the lettering, in pastel colours of yellow and blue, perfectly laid out.
I can't make up my my mind wether i liked the second or third movement the best today, both were so riveting, i think i talk too much about the serene third movement, and it would be a good exercise to analyse this second movement more, some critics of the day suggested to Brahms to drop this movement, it was already a long Concerto, besides, whoever heard of a four movement Piano Concerto?, it was excess to needs, but Brahms kept it in, and the four movement structure makes it into a sort of 'Symphonic Concerto', the second movement only just becomes the shortest movement, but still clocks in at almost 10 minutes, it sounds very much akin to the First Piano Concerto, and this second movement is in D Minor, the same key as his First piano Concerto, there's that same angriness, sounding as if it's a left over of the first, there's a darkness and dissonance there, especially at the beginning, but it soon develops its own persona,
Here Daniel Barenboim playing the second movement on YouTube, Sergei Celibidache conducting.
