Beethoven - Piano Concerto 5 [Arrau/ Davis-Staatstkapelle Dresden] It's so good to dip into this wonderful box set of Beethoven Piano Concertos again, last month i played the Third Concerto [14th March 2011], and now i turn my ears toward the Fifth, and it's my most favourite of all, and not just Beethoven.
Claudio Arrau was a Chilean Pianist, born in 1903, over a hundred years ago, he passed away in 1991, the Fifth Concerto was recorded in 1984, the booklet front cover photo is by Christian Steiner, a nice pic of Arrau in a thoughtful pose, nice lettering too.
I'm so familiar with this Concerto, that it's easy for it to just wash over me, and just lay back and bask in its glow, i guess the last movement is a thrilling culmination to everything that's gone before, a chance for Beethoven to let his hair down in a movement of sheer joy and onward forward momentum, scored in Beethoven 'Heroic' key of E Flat Major, but rather than serious heroics, to me it sounds like Beethoven laughing his head off with joy!, it's also hard to pinpoint exact parts of this movement to highlight, the piece is in Rondo form, which means its themes trundle round again and again without seemingly a break, it's hard to know where to jump on, or if you're deep into the work, where to jump off!,
Here's Claudio Arrau playing the third movement on YouTube, it starts at 3:42, and Colin Davis is conducting.
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