Brahms: Piano Concerto no 1 / Curzon, Szell

This version of Brahms's massive First Concerto was an instant classic when released in 1962 and recommending it now is still a no-brainer, especially in this effective remastering. Curzon gets to the heart of the music. He captures the high drama of the symphonic opening movement, and his rapt concentration makes a profound effect in the Adagio, famous for his controversially slow tempo. Szell is his equal here, conducting with passion. The way he screws up the tension in the orchestra's opening statement and then, through judicious rubato and a warming of the string tone, makes the second subject come alive is a mini-lesson in great conducting. With Boult, Curzon's Franck is on a similarly lofty plane, and the Litolff is a worthy filler. A best buy. --Dan Davis Amazon.com essential recording

Curzon peforms well - a legend

Szell conducts with his usual verve and perhaps help Cliffor Curzon to break from his Patrician style a little bit on Brahms first piano concerto. I have not heard the vinyl or original CD version, so I cannot relate the recording sound to those. This recording is pretty good for the time, but not outstanding. November 16, 2008

Curzon and Szell in perfect sync with power and finess

Wow! I thoroughly enjoyed this performance of the Brahms piano concerto no 1. I also own the Gilels/Jochum but like Jeffrey Lee and Santa Fe reviewers have noted, I do not prefer the ponderous and sometimes too careful/restrained playing exhibited by Gilels in that recording. Szell is amazing in this recording! - power, tension, precision and rhythmic control are all there with Szell. Also, the sound you will get in this recording is better than the brahms piano concerto recordings Szell made with Fleischer and Serkin. Thanks to Decca (engineer - kenneth wilkinson) is better than the Columbia sound. Sound is very natural with excellent dynamics and spatial presence.

Like the gramophone reviewer noted in the liner notes for this recording, I may regret it later, but this is the best recording of the Brahms piano concerto 1 I have heard. September 25, 2007

A classic performance

Curzon's performance of the second movement of the Brahms is imaginative and astounding. Its slow tempo nearly deconstructs the piece, gives you time to think about how it works. It makes you think of Ucheda's performance of the Mozart Adagio, a slow dreaminess. The rest of Curzon's performance is also masterful, but Movement 2 is worth the price of admission and is a good bid for an immortal performance June 11, 2007

A modest virtuoso scores a triumph

Agreeing with all the accolades heaped on this 1962 recording of the Brahms First Concerto is easy, but not many reviewers here have captured what makes this performance special. Clifford Curzon never relied upon power and flash; he was a modest man and a scrupulous musician steeped in European style. His Brahms First is magical because he finds a sensitive, lyrical way of phrasing every bar. Instead of crashing and bagning, which even the best pianists are tempted to do in order to compete with Brahms' thick, overbearing orchestration, Curzon plays forcefully but without excessive bravura.

This proves a triumphant way to approach the thorny first movement, even in a field where sensitive readings from Barenboim and Fleisher, among others, also avoid showmanship and keyboard bagning. Curzon profound, inward reading is aided by Szell, who reins in the orchestral part--there's no attempt to make the noisy opening of the first movement storm the heavens. I'm grateful to discover such a singing performance, which has been captured in amazingly natural, life-like sound by Decca. August 23, 2006

This is the one to get

After you've listened to this CD fifty times, you might want to try the Alfred Brendel/Claudio Abbado CD, just for variety. Until then, don't bother with anyone else. Curzon takes the slow movement much slower than even Gilels dares to do, and manages to make it work as though nobody would ever consider a faster tempo. Szell makes a brief escape from the clutches of Columbia's engineers. It's all here. This is the penultimate rendition of this gripping concerto. February 18, 2006

More reviews at Amazon.com ...