Zimerman / Andsnes / Grimaud / Boulez BARTÓK Piano Concertos

This is an interesting idea: to combine performances by different pianists and different orchestras. It calls attention to this being Boulez's Bartók . . . Krystian Zimerman takes a direct, hard-hitting approach to the opening Allegro moderator of the First Concerto, in which he is joined by Boulez and the Chicagoans. Every note is crystal clear, and the concerto benefits from Zimerman's stunning pianism and the exquisite brass-playing of this great orchestra . . . Zimerman and Boulez display extraordinary concentration throughout the Andante, and the Allegro molto finale is sheer brilliance . . . The recorded sound is clean and open, keeping both piano and orchestra to the fore. On balance, this is as fine a recording of the First Concerto as any I have heard . . . Hélène Grimaud . . . produces the warmth and gentleness that so many miss in this elegant, comparatively relaxed concerto, which the dying Bartók wrote so that his widow could make a living playing it. Boulez seems totally in synch with Grimaud . . . They attack the finale strongly . . . Revisiting the raison d'être of this disc -- Boulez's Bartók -- it seems entirely appropriate to have three pianists play these three very different concertos . . . three pianists is an equally admirable solution. (Record Review / James H. North, Fanfare (Tenafly, NJ) / 01. July 2005)

 

As this wonderful new CD shows, the mesmerising clarity is still there . . . and there's a welcome flexibility in the rhythm. But the thing that really strikes you is the sheer beauty of the sound . . . And the three soloists - Zimerman, Andsnes and Grimaud - are all marvellous. (Record Review / Ivan Hewett, Times/Eye / 19. February 2005)