Though the Arrau/Szeryng/Starker Beethoven Triple Concerto appeared on the heels of Karajan’s celebrated version with Oistrakh, Rostropovich, and Richter, it’s hardly an also-ran. In fact, Eliahu Inbal’s glacial tempos and burnished orchestral refinement are quite, well, Karajan-esque! Arrau’s regal sonority and prodigiously detailed fingers complement Starker’s aristocratic restraint, which in turn contrasts to Rostropovich’s expansive, robust artistry. Does Szeryng’s sweet, salonish tone prove to be a foil or a mismatch to his serious-minded partners? Decide that for yourselves, folks.
Alfred Brendel’s coiled rigor in the Choral Fantasy is as trim and tough as Rudolf Serkin’s, but lacks the older pianist’s nervous energy and underlying poetic impulse. And Bernard Haitink’s faceless timebeating can’t begin to match the wrenching intensity Leonard Bernstein brings to the aforementioned Serkin recording. The London Philharmonic strings enter with trepidation, the delicious concertante sequences woefully lack character and bite, and the choral singing is third-rate. Buy this disc for the Triple Concerto.
