Garrick Ohlsson, Sir Donald Runnicles: The Complete Beethoven Piano Concertos (24/192 FLAC)

Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Garrick Ohlsson
Orchestra: Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra
Conductor: Donald Runnicles
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Reference Recordings
Catalogue: FR-751SACD
Release: 2023
Size: 6.54 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
01. I. Allegro con brio
02. II. Largo
03. III. Rondo – Allegro

Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19
04. I. Allegro con brio
05. II. Adagio
06. III. Rondo – Allegro molto

Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
07. I. Allegro con brio
08. II. Largo
09. III. Rondo – Allegro

Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
10. I. Allegro moderato
11. II. Andante con moto
12. III. Rondo – Vivace

Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 ‘Emperor’
13. I. Allegro
14. II. Adagio un poco moto
15. III. Rondo – Allegro, ma non troppo

16. The Creatures of Prometheus Overture, Op. 43

Reference Recordings is proud to present The Complete Beethoven Piano Concertos played by Grammy®-winning Garrick Ohlsson, performing with the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra, conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles. This album was recorded during live Festival performances in July 2022. A student of the late Claudio Arrau, Mr. Ohlsson is especially noted for his masterly performances of the works of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert, as well as the Romantic repertoire. To-date, he is the only American ever to win first prize in the International Chopin Piano Competition. Ohlsson has also been nominated for three Grammy Awards®, winning one in 2008 for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra) for Beethoven Sonatas, Vol. 3. This new recording represents a pinnacle in his career. More than 60 years since its humble beginnings performing in a tent at the base of the Tetons, the Festival is now sought after for both listeners and performers alike as a destination to experience the finest in classical music throughout the summer. The Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra consists of top talent from across the world, including more than 220 musicians from 90 orchestras and 65 institutions of higher learning, many performing together each summer for over 25 years. The Festival, founded in 1962, also welcomes yearly some of the most sought-after soloists and visiting artists in classical music today. Under the baton of world-renowned conductor Sir Donald Runnicles since 2005, these musicians come together to gather inspiration from the mountain setting and to provide spectacular music for Festival audiences. In addition to being Music Director of GTMF, Sir Donald Runnicles is General Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin (DOB) since 2009, and in his final season as Principal Guest Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony since 2001. Runnicles enjoys close and enduring relationships with many of the most significant opera companies and symphony orchestras. His recording of Wagner arias with Jonas Kaufmann and the Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin won the 2013 Gramophone prize for Best Vocal Recording, and his recording of JanAček’s Jenůfa with the Orchestra and Chorus of the Deutsche Oper Berlin was nominated for a 2016 GRAMMY® award for Best Opera Recording.

Musical careers last longer than they used to, and here, it is difficult to detect any weakening of the long-impressive technique of pianist Garrick Ohlsson, 74 years old, when this album was recorded in the summer of 2022. The feat is especially impressive in that all five of the Beethoven concertos (plus the Overture to The Creatures of Prometheus, Op. 43, with no piano) were performed live within a single week. Ohlsson is backed by the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra under the direction of veteran conductor Donald Runnicles, who points out that he and Ohlsson had very little discussion about interpretation prior to the performances. It is here that Ohlsson’s expertise is evident. He doesn’t blaze any new paths in these works, but one has the feeling that he holds the performances, to borrow a phrase from John Le Carré, like a thrush’s egg in his hand. His readings are simple in the best way. Sample the arresting opening of the first movement of the Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58; it is direct, yet there are micro shapings that bespeak long familiarity. In fact, it is in the first two concertos, where the lengthy expositions make it less possible for Ohlsson to control the flow of events, that are less effective. The partnership between Ohlsson and the orchestra, though, is lively throughout, and Runnicles gets excellent results from what is likely essentially a pickup group; the orchestra is moderately sized and agile. Superb live recording from Reference Recordings, discussed in detail in the booklet, is another draw.