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Beethoven: Triple Concerto, Septet / Shaham, Bronfman, Zinman


Release Date: 04/11/2006 
Label:  Arte Nova   Catalog #: 640150   Spars Code: DDD 
Composer:  Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:  Truls Otterbech Mork,  Yefim Bronfman,  Gil Shaham,  Michel Rouilly,   ... 
Conductor:  David Zinman
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra
Number of Discs: 1 
Recorded in: Stereo 
Length: 1 Hours 14 Mins. 

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Notes and Editorial Reviews


Beethoven's Triple Concerto works best when played like a svelte, bubbly concerto grosso rather than middle-period Beethoven pretending to be Elgar. For that to happen, you need a firm, decisive podium master who keeps everything clear and moving ahead. And you need three virtuoso soloists with rhythmic élan, beautiful tone, and radar-like ensemble sensitivity. Enter Zinman, Bronfman, Shaham, Mørk, and Zurich. No, that's not a law office, but rather the musician participants, who embody all the aforementioned criteria and come up with the best-integrated, least-platitudinous, most consistently characterized and caringly detailed Beethoven Triple Concerto ever committed to disc.
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The opening ritornello's eloquent section work, lively rhythmic inflections, and snarling brass sonorities probably sound better than anything Beethoven expected, while violinist Gil Shaham and cellist Truls Mørk seamlessly yet passionately merge to the point where it's hard to tell who's playing what in common registers. And pianist Yefim Bronfman builds upon the stylish flair and sensitivity he brilliantly displayed in his previous Beethoven collaborations with Zinman (the Third and Fourth concertos). By virtue of the superb engineering, the balance between soloists and orchestra emerges in perfect perspective.

The Septet, one of Beethoven's least favorite yet most tuneful and unpretentious creations, often is played without a conductor, and in truth it really doesn't need one--yet Zinman's presence makes itself felt. Notice, for example, the increased tension as a result of the first-movement slow introduction's minute tempo adjustments and pungent accents, or hear the Minuetto's excitingly contoured inner lines, or the textural interplay in the Finale that makes the excellent (albeit conductorless) Academy of St. Martin in the Fields sound generalized by comparison. Even if this budget-priced disc were listed at five times the cost, it would be a bargain. [4/21/2006]

– Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com Read less

Works on This Recording

1. Concerto for Piano, Violin and Cello in C major, Op. 56 "Triple Concerto" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:  Truls Otterbech Mork (Cello), Yefim Bronfman (Piano), Gil Shaham (Violin)
Conductor:  David Zinman
Orchestra/Ensemble:  Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra
Period: Classical 
Written: 1804; Vienna, Austria 
2. Septet in E flat major, Op. 20 by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer:  Yefim Bronfman (Piano), Michel Rouilly (Viola), Ronald Dangel (Double Bass),
Jakob Hefti (French Horn), Gil Shaham (Violin), Florenz Jenny (Bassoon),
Truls Otterbech Mork (Cello), Michael Reid (Clarinet)
Period: Classical 
Written: 1800; Vienna, Austria 

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review:  ( 1 Customer Review )
 Your recommendations December 18, 2012 By arthur w. (Rocky Comfort, MO) See All My Reviews "I already have a couple of recordings of the Triple Concerto, but, because of your description of this recording, I went ahead and ordered it. This time you understated the magnificence of this performance. All I can say is that I was blown away. I heard this piece in my head for a couple of days after hearing this. Maybe I'll pay more attention to your recommendations from now on." Report Abuse
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