Beethoven: Triple Concerto, Op 56 & Violin Concerto, Op 61a torrent

MP3, 192kbps

The Concerto in C major for Violin, Cello and Piano has always been treated as an oddity in the Beethoven oeuvre. Infrequently performed, the work is actually better than history would have us believe and deserves to be more popular. The Triple Concerto receives loving treatment on this new recording which is notable for the synchronicity shared by the three soloists. The trio triumphs because they are at complete ease with all of the work's shifting moods. They soar in full-voiced splendor in the heroic opening Allegro, sing with chamber music-like intimacy in the pensive Largo, and dance in the rambunctious Rondo alla polacca finale.

If the Triple Concerto is an oddity then the Piano Concerto in D major op.61a is certainly Beethoven's bastard child. Commissioned by the pianist/publisher Muzio Clementi in 1807, the work is an adaptation of the Violin Concerto written in 1806. Pianist Jenö Jandó is an ideal performer for this music and his Mozartean conception of the work is completely successful. Jandó is ably supported by the Nicolaus Esterházy Sinfonia under the direction of Béla Drahos. While none of these performers are household names, they are skilled Beethoven interpreters deserving wider recognition.