Beethoven, Ludwig van (1770–1827)
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
I. Allegro moderato
II. Andante con moto
III. Rondo. Vivace
Wilhelm Backhaus (piano)
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin
Karl Böhm : Recording 1950
Karl Böhm and Wilhelm Backhaus enjoyed an especially harmonious artistic partnership.The two musicians worked together frequently, both on the concert platform and in the recording studio: their cooperation is well documented in the form of recordings for the radio and on disc.These interpretations of the Fourth Piano Concerto and the Fourth Symphony with the RIAS Symphony Orchestra from the early 1950s are amongst the first Beethoven recordings made by Karl Böhm after the Second World War.The G major Piano Concerto by Beethoven was a favourite of Wilhelm Backhaus. Serene, tranquil and at peace with himself, he presents a congenial realisation of the score together with Böhm. Karl Böhm’s virtues as a conductor, such as his precision, discipline and kapellmeister-like rigour, find an equal counterpart in the clear pianism of the 66-year-old Wilhelm Backhaus.
The Backhaus touch proves quite magical–he plays his own dynamic cadenza in the last movement–sparkling in its counterpoint and thunderous in its cascading runs. The famed Backhaus consistency of
tone provides the watermark for this beautifully contoured performance of the work; and even in the more explosive episodes a serenity of spirit reigns that vaunts its celestial authority. (Audiophile Audition )
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