Kissin’s Beethoven.
It has been more than 10 years since Evgeny Kissin released his first CD of the Beethoven piano concertos with James Levine and the Philharmonia Orchestra. During the succeeding period, audiences were able to share in hearing the evolution of his playing at sold-out performances around the world.
That culminated in the recording of this concerto cycle in London a year ago, with the London Symphony orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis.
Davis and the LSO provide elegantly spirited, sensitive support for Kissin’s amazing performances of these concertos. It really is a wonderful musical partnership in every sense that will thrill the listener.
Kissin’s playing is deeply felt and carefully worked out. It is wonderfully crisp, and his performances are always very clear, and never over-pedaled.
His playing moves effortlessness from gently soft and poetically slow, to dazzlingly fast and witty exchanges with the orchestra.
Kissin has increasingly been referred to by listeners from London to Chicago as standing with such all time greats as Rubinstein, Richter and Horowitz, and such contemporary greats as Martha Argerich.
Here is a recording (without the advertisements), of Evgeny Kissin performing the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1:
And next, here is the young Evgeny Kissin (age 16), playing the Rachmaninov concerto no.2 in 1987, second movement:
Tags: Evgeny Kissin, pianist, Beethoven concertos, Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony orchestra
