Brahms Piano Concerto Nos. 1 and 2; The Top LPs


Well this pretty much sums it up after the dirth of sonic quality in the Beethoven Concertos:
"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." from reviewer Paul on Amazon. But not so fast Paul, the Fleisher/Szell has some flesh on the bone on the Epic Gold Stereorama.  Proponents will point out this was recorded before Severence Hall's remodel and if you really want to get crazy you can have SAX (2526), but this is more for the completist SAX lovers than anything (only available in the challenged EMI Columbia second pressing). I have the Epic on the recording above and it still is sonically challenged. SAX crazed collectors may also want the formidable coupling of Arrau/Guilini on the Blue and Silver pressing (2387).  Cheapskates can wait on the likely formidable Classics for Pleasure Reissue (CFP 40028) which is currently being held hostage by at least six greedy British sellers on ebay for $25 or more for just an excellent copy (no sales of it in last three months). This pressing is highly recommended over the SAX seconds. Moving on we have Gilels/Jochum on DG which is a well respected performance, but sonically not in the money. Katchen/Monteux on Decca SXL 2172 will catch your wallet on fire, unfortunately the playing does not.
I have the Graffman Shaded Dog and just don't bother. Completely off the radar, is the Concert Classic SXLP 20010 with Gimpel/Kempe with the Berlin seems quite respectable in its digital version and Kempe is quite the Brahms conductor. The Classic reissue of Rubinstein in stereo for the first time on LSC-1831 is well worth snagging for a respected performance with top notch sound. Pressed by Bernie Grundmann with his all tube rig (no early Grundman Classic solid state pressing available) the sound is good and dynamic if a bit diffuse. It probably more than noses out the Speakers Corner reissue of the great Curzon/Szell SXL for sound. And if your are into high def digital than this recording is the winner. Overall the Curzon Decca SXL is a great one to have and given the prices of the NM Blueback pictured above, it might be worth springing for an excellent SXL Curzon, The Decca Jubilee (also London Jubilee, Enterprise etc.) is quite fine. This dutch pressing has improved noise floor and is quite sublime. Its kept me acquiring the budget Blueback to date. The winner here is easily Curzon/Szell. Sonically, perhaps not a true juggernaut, but add in the performance and we have a winner.
UPDATE 3/8/2015:
Columbia's reissue of the Epic Fleisher/Szell, Odyssey Y31273, circa 1972, really gets the job done. It is not an audiophile pressing with great noise floor, but it never fails to communicate an awesome performance. The Cleveland Orchestra is amazing (LSO/Curzon/Szell not even close). For me, the quest will be to find the best possible pressing of this performance. The Jubilee pressing is still nice with a great sound floor, but the Dutch pressing (much like the Mercury Golden Imports) lacks something in the dynamics department. Cleveland even on the Odyssey simply over powers and has an electricity that I don't think was ever there with Curzon/LSO.



-London 411579 Clifford CURZON piano BRAHMS Piano Cto #1 SZELL 1985
-BRAHMS PIANO CONCERTO No. 1 GIMPEL / KEMPE, BPO  . HMV SXLP 20010
-RCA VICS-1109 Stereo LP Brahms - Piano Concerto No 1, Gary Graffman, Munch
- RCA LIVING STEREO LSC 1831 BRAHMS Piano Concerto No.1 RUBINSTEIN Classic Records
- DECCA SXL 6023 Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 CURZON Szell LSO
- SAX 2526 Orig 1st BRAHMS piano concerto no. 1 LEON FLEISHER - SZELL Cleveland
-DG 2530 258 BRAHMS PIANO CTO #1 GILELS JOCHUM
-Decca SXL2172 - Brahms - Piano Concerto No. 1 - KATCHEN - MONTEUX

Well as we flip down the highest price sold on ebay it's a SAX spectacular, but we most wait for the SAX. Critically, the Gilels/Reiner on Living Stereo LSC-2219 appears to be the king and its not even close. Unfortunately despite this, Valin sends this recording straight to sonic hell in his RCA Living Stereo Bible summing up succinctly, "Recorded (badly) in 1958." No bass on the LSC which really kills the sound, so we are screwed once again. Two of the great interpreters of the Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto have perished; Richter-Hasser literarly collapsed in rehearsals, dying shortly thereafter, and Gina Bachauer died of a heart attack the afternoon she was to play it. Talk about screwed. Luckily, Richter-Haaser left behind an amazing performance on Columbia SAX 2328 with Karajan at the helm and I expect the Blue and Silver sound is outstanding. The Angel is not too bad and that makes this a great contender. Gina Bachauer with Stanislaw Skrowaczewski and the London Symphony Orchestra perform to 35mm Mercury Living Presence tape (4th movement). Arrau/Giulini enter the fray on SAX 2466 adding to the SAX count (and grab this on CFP 40034 rather than settle for the sloppy second pressing). Completists, don't forget to over pay for your rare Fleisher/Szell SAX (only a second pressing.)
The Epic sound is anything but and the noteworthy performance is not the equal of his Brahms 1. Not to be forgotten is Decca with Katchen and Backhaus accounting for the two most expensive stereo Brahms 2 LPs on popsike. Katchen's performance takes a back seat to Richter-Haaser, but the sonics of this SXL 2000 series seem formidable (digital). I doubt they make up for the performance gap and the above capture of the Haaser on Angel would indicate the SAX may be a sonic triumph. Hold everything, the Backhaus/Bohm is excellent despite not being golden age Decca. The Decca SXL may be slightly earlier though the time to ship overseas may account for the difference (Oct 67 versus Feb 68). The London can be had for under $10 or the nearly identical Decca for as much as $240 with the pretty FFSS Decca label (completists rejoice!) On the reissue front, I am currently in hot pursuit of a nice dutch pressed Decca Jubilee and will report back (the London cover looks quite familiar so I may have that in house for comparison.) Please buy these before the Decca to ensure you like the performance (the Decca is not worth 20 times the price.) Hasser has my vote, but with no reissues the price of admission is high. Backhaus I'd rate second in performance and the London and Jubilee look very promising for those on a budget. I'll report back. The Arrau on SAX is third for performance and you might just snag a Blue and Silver cheap enough to forget the CFP reissue. Katchen might have the best sound, but the performance is not to my taste. Try your luck with the London Blueback.

UPDATE 3/8/2015:
The Backhaus Jubilee arrived and it delivers again with great piano sound, but again the Dutch pressing has it drawbacks in the dynamics department. Overall, this is sonically more compelling than the above Brahms 1 Szell/Curzon Jubilee. I have the Giulini/Arrau on a German Odeon which never fails to sound like anti-sceptic solid state sound (which I why we generally ignore the German EMI pressings). The great suprise was the Gelber/Kempe/RPO EMI recording reissued on the American label Connoisseur Society CSQ 2088 (Q stands for Quadrophonic), originally released on Concert Classics SXDW 3030 with the first piano concerto. Gelber gives a very Van Cliburn-esque performance with all the youth and vigor that Backhaus lacks. The Sterling Sound pressing (intitials PR?) is quite effective with good midrange presence. This was recorded in 1973 and I'm not confident that the original Concert Classic double LP would best this. "In fact, this is a Brahms Second that can stand tall and proud in the forest of majestic redwoods, among which I count Emanuel Ax?s electrifying performance with Haitink and the Boston SO, Emil Gilels's classic recording with Reiner and the Chicago SO, and a recording almost exactly contemporaneous with Gelber's made by Cécile Ousset with Kurt Masur and the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra in 1974." (Jerry Dubins, http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=120094). At the moment I favor the Gelber simply due to its dynamic clout in performance and sound (distortion freaks be warned that it is recorded aggressively.) Both the Gelber and Jubilee Backhaus are sonic bargains.

-Columbia SAX2328 - Brahms - Piano Concerto No.2 - RICHTER-HASSER - KARAJAN
--SAX 2466 Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 / Arrau / Giulini B/S Philharmonia
-FLEISHER PLAY BRAHMS PIANO CONCERTO NO 2 CO SZELL EMI COLUMBIA SAX 2534 S/C
-Brahms: Second Piano Concerto Bachauer/LSO Mercury SR-90301
-DECCA SXL 6322 WBG ED2 *WILHELM BACKHAUS KARL BOHM* BRAHMS PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2
-SXL 2236 BRAHMS PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 - KATCHEN / LSO / FERENCSIK
-RCA VICS-1026 1s1s Plum Nm BRAHMS Piano Concerto No. 2 - GILELS / REINER CHICAGO
-SXL 2236 BRAHMS PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2 - KATCHEN / LSO / FERENCSIK
- DECCA SXL 6322 WBG 1st ED2 BRAHMS Piano Concerto No.2 BACKHAUS/BOHM



Comments

  1. Once again, Meles, thanks for the review. Just a small correction, and that is that SAX 2526 was actually released originally as a blue/silver label. It is more commonly seen as a semi-circle second label pressing, but the blues/silver exists and usually sells for a lot of money. Prior to responding to your post, I took out my semi-circle pressing for a listen. I have not heard the Epic, but I would wager that the SAX is probably not a huge advance in terms of sound. There is moderate tape hiss that is noticeable. Dynamic range, particularly of the orchestra, is somewhat constricted, though I caught no high-volume distortion that typically annoys me. The presentation on whole is more immediate and typical of US Columbia/CBS recordings of the time with not so much hall ambience. The piano is at the forefront and seems more heavily miked than the orchestra. Some might find it better that way, because Fleisher's performance is really outstanding. The beauty of the second movement is really something in his hands, and the opening measures of the piano are just sublime.

    As for other Brahms Firsts, I have the Curzon/Szell Decca original, and it is very nice. For what it's worth, I'm pretty sure it has been cited on the TAS list. The performance is top notch, and the sound is superior to the Fleisher/Szell. My ED3 pressing, however, suffers from inner groove distortion, which takes a little bit away from the powerful closing bars of the final movement. On whole, though, I would agree with you that this may be the performance and sonic winner. I am curious, now about the Speakers Corner.

    Have you auditioned the Gilels/Jochum on DG? It is a 70s DG but I wouldn't discount it. I heard it once on my office rig last year (borrowed the LP from a fellow colleague who was no longer listening to his vinyl) and vaguely remember being impressed with the performance. I'd love to hear it on my home system for comparison.

    Another contender is the Arrau/Haitink on Philips. This is another great performance. Pulled this one out, too, to listen. I have a Dutch pressing that has a little bit of surface noise and, like the Curzon Decca, suffers a bit of lack of clarity during musical climaxes but is still very enjoyable.

    As for the Brahms Second, I have never heard the Richter-Haaser but imagine that it would sound pretty good. However, if the Richter-Haaser Beethoven recordings are any foretaste of what one could expect from the Brahms, then it won't be golden. Anticipate warm tube sound but a more laid back presentation and perhaps a loss of clarity. I have a narrow band Decca of the Backhaus/Bohm that sounds glorious. This can be found on Ebay without having to sacrifice a fortune and is a very enjoyable recording. The piano is captured with a beautiful tone and is well balanced with the orchestra. Clarity is excellent, as are dynamics.

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    1. I have links to some of the clips, so you can hear the Richter-Haaser on a youtube clip of the Angel LP. It is with Karajan BPO so I suspect the sound is typical of Karajan which I've found to be quite good on SAX. At over $100 springing for the Richter is a big leap of faith. I am hoping to get the Jubilee of Backhaus for $10 delivered which is a great price on the rare Jubilee. Reiner/Gilels is best on the second, but the sound. Richter-Haaser/Karajan has a much more correct feel that works very, very well. It is amazing the differential on the Decca ED2 Backhaus and the similar London pressing (the worst I've seen.) I really think it is simply because Decca retained the FFSS style label and therefore the collectors want all FFSS.

      Giles/Jochum had some advocates online, but not that many. I suspect the master tape for the Curzon/Szell is far from perfect. I have a link to the youtube of the speakers corner LP in the article. I hear some distortion. I've got a feeling your ED3 pressing might be better than the original ED2. A bird in the hand is worth like six in the bush in my experience with LPs. I've had little luck trying to better a loved pressing.

      SAX 2526 on a Blue and Silver is just adding insult to injury. Its so close to the second pressing that it might actually be indistinguishable. And even if it is a true Blue & Silver, you still can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. The fine digital version of Fleisher reveals its limitations. No amount of vacuum tubes in the cutting chain can save it.

      On the mid Philips, for the Arrau Beethoven there is bass weight, but I have my doubts that these LPs have the strongest merits. Too early for any hope of better sound floor/noise floor improvement and too late for the golden tube sound. I did not see a lot of positive comments on Brahms Arrau Philips and so it and many other recordings of the Brahms first were ignored.

      My methodology was to check ebay sold items (goes back three months) and to check Popsike to make sure I covered the most valuable and presumably best LPs. I then also scoured the internet for opinions and reviews to scout out lesser pressings. If no one bought a release on ebay in the last three months and its not in popsike it seems likely to be unworthy of attention.

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    2. I also forgot to mention that a presence on youtube and comments also is helpful. It is amazing to be able to listen to over half of these recordings and a portion of those are recordings of the LP. The digital recordings of LPs are great ways to weed out the over priced fare (from completists), as one can tell a bad LP very easily with a digital recording. Recordy LPs display their poor characteristics quite well in digital.

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  2. Actually, the R-Haaser Brahms PC2 does have a late World Record Club issue - post ST1*** - with one side being 'original' - an LP not often seen,I guess

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    1. Welcome back, Tin Ear! We hope that you had a full recovery and are very happy to see you back! Thank you for your comments!

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    2. I was just the other day looking at world record club releases and adding them to my lists. I've yet to get one so far as the shipping has been expensive, but its nice to see some reissues at reasonable prices on some of these titles. World Record Club issue is ST 1090 ($18 shipping from Oxfam, aah!)
      From Narkive:
      "I remember the Brahms 2. It has one of the most exquisitely modulated
      slow movements you'll ever hear.

      Tom Deacon"
      "Edward A. Cowan"
      The Brahms 2nd pf. con. was issued on CD: EMI 66093, with the Haydn
      Variations, also cond. H.v.K.

      The concerto is excellent. I can recall hearing Richter-Haaser perform
      that concerto in San Antonio *many* years ago. He was a giant of a
      man, built sort of like Rostropovich... --E.A.C."

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  3. tbh: i can type better than walk, etc, @ present!..i blame 'the relapse'..

    have lots of 1's & 2's.. an extremely popular version of no.1 was the Serkin/Szell from 69 i got in aug'69..and the Jubilee Curzon around '81..never did comparison's - but thought an original LSC Graffman/Munch was better-than-expected for sound.
    Curzon's mono no.1 LP: COA/Beinum) is very less than top-notch for performance - rather pathetic playing - but don't know if I've actually a favourite for these works - or which is technically best - the Katchen/LSO of 1&2 has original SXL matrices on the early SDD pressings..no.1 has poor sound/balance, as noted in original reviews.

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  4. Update added for both Piano Concertos today.

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    1. Thanks for the update. Interesting thoughts on the Connoisseur Society pressing. I've never been motivated to listen to any of these. How'd you come across this one? Also, I wonder how the Jubilee of the Backhaus stacks up against a narrow band Decca ...

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  5. The Kogan Beethoven Violin Concerto was reissued on Connoisseur Society.

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  6. I own most of the recordings mentioned here except for the Haaser/Karajan, which I will be seeking soon, and the Curzon/Szell, but a recent development has upended the situation: The Gilels/Jochum recordings on DG have been reissued in The Original Source series, with a completely different mastering process: These were quadraphonic recordings, where only the two main channels had been used for cutting the original LPs. In the reissue the two back channels were used too, and new masters have been cut. The results are nothing less than stunning, this new edition now combines the best interpretation with the best sound overall, combining orchestral detail, spacious sound, deep bass, a lifelike well defined piano and luscious strings. It is as if someone took the best parts of all available recordings and put them together. I have honestly never heard anything like this. For the price of 75Euros for a double album it was a steal.

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    1. No wonder dgg's were a sonic mess. Hopefully we have some more reviews to confirm your opinion because I really don't trust DGG. This item is still a preorder here in the USA.

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