The panache and poetry distinguishing Jorge Bolet’s finest concert performances rarely emerge in these frankly enervated readings, available again via Arkivmusic.com’s on-demand reissue program. True, animation and passion transpire in both concertos’ first-movement cadenzas, while Bolet fans certainly will savor many beautifully turned phrases and subtle inflections. But where’s the yearning, conversational flow and vibrant string tone we expect in the Schumann’s central Intermezzo? Where’s the point and scintillation others bring to the Grieg first movement’s passage-work? Not here. And if we must have a slow basic tempo for the Grieg finale, Claudio Arrau’s 1963 recording with Dohnányi and the Concertgebouw provides the inner rhythm and piquant accentuation that Bolet, Chailly, and the Berlin Radio Symphony lack. Stay with our references for this tried and true coupling.
