Search - Beethoven - Symphony No. 7, Piano Concerto No. 1, Overture to Coriolan / Solti, Perahia, London Symphony Orchestra on DVD

The American Pianist who has conquered Europe/World

BLee | HK | 06/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Few conductors are of Solti's calibre nowadays, and I just don't like LSO without Solti. Likewise, few pianists nowadays play like Parahia. We love to see more modern pianists play in the way he does. And though some have a huge technique somehow there is something that is missing, and when saying so I have Kissins in mind. Parahia's touch is full of feelings and rather light at times. He reminds us very much of his teacher Horszowski. Yet, when playing the more excited parts, he would rather reveal the temperment of Serkin or even of Horowitz. No matter how, we could feel the tradition of Bach and Mozart even in his Beethoven and this is much to his credit. His scales and arpeggios are even more "refined" and more fluid than Horszowski, and fortunately enough, the menace of getting mechanical is nowhere near. I have, however, no grumble with the sound of this DVD. This may not be as good as the best recordings in 90s, but it's more than good enough to get everything across. Solti's support is wonderful and he balanced the orchestra with the pianist perfectly well, however light the pianist's touch might be. And the dialogues are just wonderful. However, it's also interesting to note that we don't see any reciprocal sudden change of temperment on the part of the orchestra as such!"

A Beethoven fan

moviemusicbuff | 02/13/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I'm reviewing this DVD because I was disappointed with the sound, though I probably shouldn't have been. The sound is typical vintage 1987 television sound. That means that even though it's been put on DVD as Dolby 5.1 and Dolby 2.0, it sounds like it was recorded by 2 microphones in the ceiling (i.e. the sound is kind of muddy and it is hard to distinguish all the interesting things going on, especially during the symphony).The performances are typical Solti and LSO. While I prefer Solti's later "rediscovering Beethoven" tempos and interpretation, it's still Beethoven and to me it's just about impossible to play a Beethoven symphony and get all the notes right and not have something interesting to listen to (and of course Solti/LSO get the notes right). I liked the Piano Concerto best, probably because it uses the smallest ensemble so the sound quality is less of an issue, and Perahia plays very well.Just don't get this DVD expecting to get the kind of sound a DVD is capable of delivering. This was BBC televised concert after all, not a recording session with a forest of microphones (I don't remember seeing a single microphone)."

Excellent performances with good sound quality

moviemusicbuff | Walnut, CA United States | 11/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a longtime fan of Murray Perahia and George Solti and this DVD offers 2 outstanding performances of the Beethoven Piano Concerto #1 and Beethoven Symphony #7 (with the London Symphony Orchestra).

Murray Perahia is one of the world's top pianists living today; he gives an outstanding performance of the Concerto #1, full of grace, great touch, and superb musicianship. What is great with this DVD is the close-up shot of his fingers while he is playing. This would be a very useful DVD for pianists and piano teachers. The sound quality is excellent.

George Solti offers an expansive interpretation of the Beethoven Symphony #7. The first movement is a big slower tempoed and more expansive rendering than other conductors (e.g. Von Karajan, Bernstein). However, the London Symphony Orchestra plays beautifully under Solti's direction. The picture quality and sound quality are really good.

I highly recommend this DVD if you're a fan of Murray Perahia and/or George Solti."