Exquisite pianism and orchestral work
The title here refers to the six "lollipops" (dances)and the Grieg Piano Concerto (dreams). They are all executed beautifully by the always excellent Berlin Phil. directed by Sir Simon Rattle - Evgeny Kissin is the soloist in the Grieg.
It's not often that I pick up a disc with this many items on it that I enjoy in its entirety, but this is definitely the case here. I've heard many renditions of these pieces where the conductor treated them as throwaways in a "pops" concert, obviously with little enthusiasm or preparation. Rattle and his band have clearly accorded the care and attention to detail that these little masterpieces deserve. I am constantly astonished at the immaculate phrasing and touches of rubato dashed off with seemingly little effort by these players. Rattle deserves accolades for his intelligent and sensitive conducting, too - and he's not a conductor I'm unreservedly fond of.
So we have two Dvorak Slavonic dances, a Brahms Hungarian dance,a...
A most enjoyable New Year's Eve concert with Kissin, Rattle and the BPO on top form
This 2011 New Year's Eve concert from Berlin is a markedly up-to-speed occasion with attractively brisk tempi apparent right from the opening Slavonic Dance and mostly maintained to the last item - another Slavonic Dance by Dvorak. This energetic approach to the music making is much appreciated by the enthusiastic audience and applies to most of the concert, the exceptions being the Grieg Piano Concerto and the conclusion to the Firebird extracts.
The Grieg concerto, as played by Evgeny Kissin, is in marked contrast to the alternative visual recordings currently available from Gulsin Onay and Julia Fischer who both deliver more robust performances with less emphasis upon interpretive subtlety. This is understandable in both cases as Gulsin Onay is accompanied by an orchestra that lacks the potential for subtle interplay and phrasing that is the lifeblood of the BPO. Julia Fischer's performance, on the other hand, aims for, and delivers, the kind of youthful `joie de vivre'...
A most enjoyable New Year's Eve concert with Kissin, Rattle and the BPO on top form
This 2011 New Year's Eve concert from Berlin is a markedly up-to-speed occasion with attractively brisk tempi apparent right from the opening Slavonic Dance and mostly maintained to the last item - another Slavonic Dance by Dvorak. This energetic approach to the music making is much appreciated by the enthusiastic audience and applies to most of the concert, the exceptions being the Grieg Piano Concerto and the conclusion to the Firebird extracts.
The Grieg concerto, as played by Evgeny Kissin, is in marked contrast to the alternative visual recordings currently available from Gulsin Onay and Julia Fischer who both deliver more robust performances with less emphasis upon interpretive subtlety. This is understandable in both cases as Gulsin Onay is accompanied by an orchestra that lacks the potential for subtle interplay and phrasing that is the lifeblood of the BPO. Julia Fischer's performance, on the other hand, aims for, and delivers, the kind of youthful `joie de vivre'...
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