Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 1 / Ballades op. 10
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JOHANNES BRAHMS
Brahms - Piano Concerto no. 1 / Ballades op. 10
Paul Lewis (piano), Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
[ Harmonia Mundi / CD ]
Release Date: Wednesday 22 June 2016
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Too innovative for its time, Brahms's Piano Concerto no.1, premiered in Hanover in 1859, needed a few years to become established in the repertory. It is a work that redefines the norms of the genre. The traditional confrontation between virtuoso soloist and orchestra is bypassed in favour of a balanced treatment and a more 'symphonic' approach. The Ballades op.10 too derive from the impetus towards a renewal of forms characteristic of the young Brahms's output.
"Paul Lewis is much more widely recorded alone rather than as a concerto soloist. His cycle of the Beethoven concertos with the BBC Symphony Orchestra was justifiably lauded, and this Brahms disc deserves to win similar plaudits. It's thrillingly played, excitingly conducted and full of both power and beauty, making it the best Brahms 1 we've had since Zimmerman and Rattle in Berlin, as well as Lewis' best disc for a while, too." (Recording of the Month MusicWeb June 2016)
"His account has clarity, muscle and steely pride, but also intimacy, vulnerability and volatility: the combination is magnetic. Conductor Daniel Harding goes for full-out symphonic bulk from the start and his Swedish orchestra sounds hearty and brooding - fuzzier-edged than Lewis's metallic attack, but generally the partnership works." (The Guardian)
"His playing in Brahms's Piano Concerto No. 1 disdains romantic heroics in favour of poise and proportion, fine judgment and the purest of trills. The risk is that he sounds aloof from the mighty battles being waged in the orchestral part, performed with romantic sweep and a lot of darkly portentous bass lines by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Daniel Harding." (Financial Times)
"[Lewis and Harding] encapsulate the contrasting moods of defiance and lyricism without indulging in unwarranted touches of rubato or having to negotiate awkward gear changes…Lewis brings all the requisite power to the 'sturm and drang' octaves and trills, but maintains flow and a wonderful feeling for inner voicing in the chorale theme…memorable" (BBC Music Five Stars)
