The first two concertos stand out among Radu Lupu’s late-1970s Beethoven cycle for Decca, especially the pianist’s ravishingly executed, classically poised reading of No. 2 in B-flat. Lupu always is attentive to important motivic material in the left hand, and takes special care to make trills and turns as even and gorgeous as they can be. Only the slow movement seems glib and emotionally neutral in relation to the spacious lyricism that distinguishes Fleisher/Szell, Schnabel/Sargent, Kempff/Leitner, and Uchida/Sanderling. Lupu provides his own rather flashy and lightweight first movement cadenza, and Zubin Mehta provides his soloist with a sturdy, beautifully proportioned orchestral framework that benefits from excellent engineering. By contrast, a 1969 selection from Beethoven’s frothy, inventive Creatures of Prometheus ballet score suffers from blowzy, muddled sonics and poor balances (although you can hear the harp, which is important in that this is the only Beethoven orchestral score that employs that instrument: strange but true!). At budget price, you’re better off acquiring the Halász/Melbourne Symphony version of the whole ballet on Naxos. But the full priced versions from Mackerras (Hyperion) or Harnoncourt (Teldec) truly sizzle with zest and theatricality.
