Stephen kovacevichs survey of the 5 beethoven concertos has been a staple item in the philips catalogue for years. For the emi label he recorded a complete cycle of beethoven s piano sonatas. Kovacevich, stephen stephen kovacevich plays beethoven. Outer movements in both concerti were quick but no passage was left unexplored, unmined.
In the first movements theme, the pianists rhythmic freedom spills over into casualness, and the first two variations sidestep many of the composers marked dynamics and. His performances of beethoven s piano concertos are firstclass, seldom matched by anyone. I got to know beethoven s piano concertos via wilhelm kempffs stereo cycle and via stephen kovacevich, and both remain benchmarks for me in different ways. Stephen kovacevich piano, london symphony orchestra, sir colin davis. This video closes with an image of the grave of edvard and nina grieg. They are the sort of performance that is regularly referred back to as a benchmark issue.
Beethoven sonatas op 27 etc kovacevichemi c classics today. The piano concertos are beautifully performed by pianist stephen kovacevich and the bbc symphony orchestra under the direction of sir colin davis. Tidal is the first global music streaming service with high fidelity sound, hidef video quality, along with expertly curated playlists and original content making it a trusted source for music and culture. Complete your beethoven, stephen bishop kovacevich, bbc symphony orchestra, sir. In this case these performances have switched label to decca, part of the same group, and are differently coupled. Stephen kovacevich, ludwig van beethoven, stephen kovacevich. Kovacevich made his wigmore hall debut in 1961, and toured the uk giving recitals and playing concertos. Relatively early in both careers, both exhibited energy, toughness and deep feeling. Ludwig van beethoven, stephen bishop kovacevich, sir colin davis, bbc symphony orchestra ludwig van beethoven, stephen bishop kovacevich, sir colin davis, bbc symphony orchestra piano concertos nos. Beethoven, stephen bishop kovacevich, bbc symphony orchestra, sir colin davis beethoven, stephen bishop kovacevich, bbc symphony orchestra, sir colin davis piano concertos nos. Beauty and bafflement join hands in the latest chapter of stephen kovacevich s leisurely unfolding beethoven cycle for emi. Beethoven the complete piano sonatas bagatelles op. This item is currently out of stock at the uk distributor. His objective, somewhat cool demeanor in the concertos radically differs from the fullbodied rhetoric of his erstwhile labelmate claudio arrau and lacks the nervous energy conveyed by leon fleishers more inflected style.
Kovacevich delivers moderate to brisklypaced readings of both concertos, capturing the. The program book will be posted closer to the performance date. Stewart goodyear piano, bbc national orchestra of wales constantine orchid. Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. Stephen bishop kovacevich, bbc symphony orchestra, sir colin davis piano concertos klavierkonzerte nr. In this book are all five of beethoven piano concertos, reproduced directly from the authoritative breitkopf and hartel edition, including most of the composers. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Stephen kovacevich, formerly stephen bishop and then presumably to avoid confusion with the singersongwriter of the same name stephen bishop kovacevich, was born in the u. Ludwig van beethoven, colin davis, bbc symphony orch. Stephen kovacevich piano, bbc symphony orchestra, colin davis. Complete your beethoven, stephen bishop kovacevich, bbc symphony orchestra, sir colin davis collection. Stephen kovacevich plays beethoven stephen kovacevich.
Beethoven piano concertos are among his most important works the coffee classical. Stephen kovacevich s performances of beethoven s concertos and sonatas recorded on philips in the 70s were in their time revered as much for their intellectual lucidity and interpretative transparency as for their recordings absolute translucency. Biography, bach discography and photos of the artist. Stephen kovacevich piano and details of their recordings available to browse and buy. Beethoven, stephen bishop kovacevich, bbc symphony. You will know if or when you want schnabels complete set which, to some, is key to understanding schnabel and even beethoven. Best sellers deals store help new releases coupons gift ideas gift cards home books sell computers electronics registry. You may order it now but please be aware that it may be six weeks or more before it can be despatched. Music vinyl records todays deals new releases best sellers canadian artists classical browse genres recommendations musique. Artur schnabel, the first pianist to record all 32 beethoven sonatas, is still held in the highest esteem by many piano aficionados and his recordings are much sought after. Hij werd geboren in praag en werkte in bonn, hamburg en wenen.
Reissued en masse on six generously filled disc, kovacevich s performances are still immensely impressive. This is the last of warners annual gleanings from the lugano festival at which martha argerich presides and definitely the most exciting. Kovacevich certainly has a command of the musics architecture and of. Dating from the 1960s and 70s, stephen kovacevich s complete beethoven recordings for philips are gathered together in a budgetpriced boxed set. Stephen kovacevich buy recordings presto classical. Stephen kovacevich is one of the most searching interpreters.
A highly regarded pianist, stephen kovacevich is particularly known for his original approach to the standard classical repertoire. The centrepiece of this collection of stephen kovacevich s beethoven recordings originally made for philips is his magnificent cycle of concertos under the inspired direction of colin davis. Stephen kovacevich beethoven the complete piano sonatas. Book depository books with free delivery worldwide. The recording is excellent with clarity in both the piano and orchestral playing with the piano a little forward. As a pianist he has won unsurpassed admiration for his playing of beethoven, brahms, mozart. Long ago i got to know the beethoven piano concertos from wihlem kempffs recordings but i later transferred my affection to kovacevich and it is with his. In music you often fall in love with what you hear first and thats how it is for me. Volume 1 of this magnificent set contains beethovens first four piano concertos and his two violin romances. He was the soloist in the first concert i ever attended as a child, when he played beethovens third piano concerto with the bournemouth symphony orchestra, conducted, if memory serves, by rudolf schwarz. Go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals store coupons amazonbasics gift cards. Stephen kovacevich, who before 1975 was known as stephen bishop and then stephen bishop kovacevich, is an american classical pianist and conductor. The 168 best classical music recordings the telegraph. Kovacevichs early recordings of the beethoven piano concertos with davis and the london symphony together with some of the piano sonatas live up to their expectation.