Ludwig van Beethoven
Piano Concertos nos. 3 in c minor, op. 37 and 4 in G major, op. 58
Bruno Weil
Jos van Immerseel, pianoforte
Tafelmusik
Sony Classical/Vivarte
Recording: September 12-14, 1996, Kloster Benediktbeuren/Germany

Musical quality: 8 - Sonic quality: 9

This second instalment of Bruno Weil's traversal of the Beethoven piano
concertos features a new instrument.  This time, Jos van Immerseel uses
a Johann Nepomuk Trondlin piano from the early 1800s.  IT has quite a
different sound from the Walter replica he played on the first CD.  While
offers more body and sonority, especially in the higher registers, the
tremendous range of colour produced by the older instrument is missing.
It also doesn't sound nearly as bright.  The Tafelmusik is as reliable as
always.

The first movement begins very well.  Right from the onset a threatening
atmosphere is created, which culminates nicely in the fortissimo outburst.
At the piano's first notes it already is clear that Jos van Immerseel
hasn't only changed the instrument, but also his style.  Where he hardly
used the pedal in the earlier concertos, he now applies much more of it,
thus exploiting the larger resonance of the pianoforte.  The lightweight
approach chosen by Weil and Immerseel in the early concertos doesn't work
here, and this throws the musicians into some problems.  The music doesn't
sound well so easily, and the beginning of the first movement is slightly
dull.  The balances also isn't impeccable, listen to the piano covering
the woods winds (track 1, 6:21).  However, parts of the development are
excellent.  The interplay between celli and piano before a quiet background
of the other strings is simply marvellous (7:53).  The recapitulation
begins with a wonderful bang, this is how form is made sound!  The piano
has its greatest moment in the cadenza (at 14:50).  Speaking of the
cadenza, on this disc Immerseel plays Beethoven's own cadenzas rather than
his own improvised.  They sound improvised, due to the generous rubato he
applies.  Right after the cadenza another great moment of this recording
occurs, as the otherworldly piano and strings are brought back to earth by
the timpani.  The second movement begins wonderfully hushed.  This is one
of the few moments where using a pianoforte pays off.  It sounds so much
more intimate than a modern piano.  The recapitulation is if anything even
better; the tension is truly hair-rising.  I even had the impression that
the orchestra was sitting on the edges of their seats.  The pizzicati of
the strings are - just as in the early concertos - quite imprecise, but
here the arpeggio-effect adds to the music, rather than distracts.
Unfortunately, the cadenza is disappointing.  The rubato leads to a
stop-and-go effect, which doesn't only disturb the flow of the music, but
is simply annoying.  The final movement is rather unspectacular, taken at
a well judged speed.  The most remarkable thing is the nicely pastoral
playing of the woods, especially the clarinet at 3:37 of track 3.  Oh yes,
the cadenza.  Again, Jos van Immerseel plays seek-and-catch.  Truly a pity
that he destroys Beethoven' s softly running scales with silly ritardandi
at each upwards figuration.

The fourth concerto is a mixed bag.  It pairs very good moments with
some where inspiration and musicality are absent.  The first movement
begins wonderfully soft.  Here, a period instrument is clearly better
suited than a modern piano.  The orchestra is very responsive to the
pianist's intonation and match it excellently.  However, soon after, this
ability gets lost.  Some parts sound like plain routine, some are great.
The middle section of the development has both intense drama and lyrical
softness.  The recapitulation has the piano sounding larger than life.
There is more bass resonance than is credible, really.  The cadenza -
Immerseel plays the lesser known by Beethoven - is exemplary for this
recording:  The fortepiano gives a marvellous harp-like sound to the
frequent arpeggios.  But Jos van Immerseel is so careless with the tempo,
that Beethoven's tricky rhythms sound dull.  Everything is softened out
into some highly romantic cream, unlike the crisp rest of the concerto.
All throughout the movement, the bassoons are placed ridiculously forward.
This is unlikely to be a fault of the recording, this is a matter of the
conductor.  The slow movement is taken at a surprisingly brisk tempo.
It clocks in well below four minutes.  However, it isn't without sense.
This is an andante (not even con moto!) in a crotchet-pulse, rather than
a quaver-pulse.  Piano and orchestra seem to be in different spheres.  I
am not quite sure whether this is a highly interesting and successful sound
or whether it's just bad playing.  In any case, the terrific middle section
sounds tame.  There is nothing of the terror those chromatic scales under
the trill can have.  The transition to the finale is outstanding.  After
the dark e minor end of the Andante, the Rondo beings in bright C major
which is getting more and more brilliant.  The rhythms are extraordinarily
crisp and bouncy.  The first fortissimo tutti is especially interesting,
with its strong off-beat accents by the basses.  All this movement sounds
as if the musicians woke up.  Everything is alert, the interplay between
the orchestra and the pianoforte (notice the marvellous solo cello) is
immaculate.  Even the bassoons are properly in place.  The solo of the
violas (at 5:39 in track 6) is very beautiful.  The cadenza too is free
of the idiosyncratic way that damaged the first cadenza so badly.

The recording took place in Benediktbeuren, rather than Bad Tolz where
the other two volumes were recorded, which marginally warmer sound.  The
woods have more presence, but the slightly metallic quality of the violins
above the stave remains.  The timpani have quite a bit more presence, so
they can thunder if necessary.  Being recorded slightly better than the
already excellent first disc, this is sonically of demonstration quality.
The booklet consists of an essay on the concertos by H.  C.  Robbins Landon
and remarks by Jos van Immerseel on the instrument used.  It is beautifully
printed.  The package is gorgeous.  A pity that the other volumes of this
set don't look as good.

The performance of the third concerto is no reference, but it is very
solidly done.  Perhaps that is its strength:  It offers a taste of period
performance without any risks.  The fourth concerto is acceptable in the
first movement, interesting in the slow and extraordinarily charming in
the finale.

Jan