Jeffrey Hall wrote:

>Dear CM fans, Here's a new thread, I think. What are you favorite piano
>concerto cadenzas? My favorite is the Grieg piano concerto first movement
>cadenza. It's just perfect.

Two favorites:

The Brahms cadenzas for the Beethoven 4th Concerto and the cadenza (1st
mvnt.) of the Prokofiev Second Concerto.

The Brahms for the Beethoven are as much Brahms as they are Beethoven.
As for the Prokofiev, while it is nothing short of a virtuoso piece all
unto itself, I find it and the coda which follows, to be one of the
"great" moments in music. The cadenza serves as the development section
of a sonata form. I know of no other work which makes such a use of a
cadenza.

As this is a favorite piece of mine, I have about a dozen recordings.
Most pianists seem to take it too fast (probably in a mad scramble to
get all of the notes) and lose some of the incredible drama. Many keep
the tempo too straight, especially at the end and  miss the wonderful
opportunity to heighten the intensity for the beginning of the abbreviated
recapitulation...right where the orchestra returns and plays the opening
notes of the movement in augmentation. To my ears, it sounds like heaven
opening up!

Karl