As with many digital recordings from the early 1980s, this set of Brahms Piano Concertos, both on LP and CD, suffered from a reputation for lousy sound, principally noticeable in the screechy, harsh violins. Not much has changed in the 20-odd years since its initial release and there is no documented evidence of any remastering to tone down the digital glare (and consequent digital “fatigue”). The filler items, with Ashkenazy as conductor in much better 1990s sound, are well-played but ultimately uneventful. At the time of its release, though, the quirky Rubbra “Handel Variations” recording (then paired with Brahms’ Fourth Symphony) offered a handy alternative to Neeme Järvi’s account for Chandos.
As for the concerto performances themselves, some listeners may find Ashkenazy’s ultra-Romantic readings a bit arch and mannered. He plays the slow movements with lingering, behind-the-beat phrasing during solo passages that at times turns so excessive as to evaporate the twin senses of line and tempo. You feel the need to “push” the music along through Ashkenazy’s self-conscious pause. In the livelier sections, the pianist plays straightforwardly, supplying requisite brio to the various climactic sections with orchestra, but nevertheless he still manages to find ways to halt the momentum when he is let loose on his own. Compared to other pairings of these concertos (Gilels/Jochum, Fleischer/Szell, and Buchbinder/Harnoncourt, to name just a few) these performances will hardly be anyone’s first choice.
