Fresh from their denazification hearings, Backhaus and Böhm team up for a partially fabulous Beethoven Fourth Concerto. The first movement goes particularly well: crisp and clear, but also grand, with an absolutely sensational cadenza. The second movement, though, is soggy and heavy, the finale not as ebullient as it should be. Böhm recorded one of the best-ever Fourths in the “traditional” German manner with the Vienna Philharmonic for DG. This one has some of the same qualities, but not enough. The first movement and scherzo have a powerful solidity but also plenty of drive, the Adagio and Finale tend to droop. The latter movement, particularly, hangs fire at a cautious tempo. The sonics, from 1950 and ’52 respectively, are tolerable, slightly harsh mono. For fans of the artists only.
