Grieg: Piano Concerto in A Minor / Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor ~ Thibaudet / Gergiev
The Grieg piano concerto is one of those works that are hindered by their own popularity. It has been a constant feature of concert life for so long that it is sometimes dismissed as an old warhorse, making it difficult to approach it with fresh ears. Yet that is what Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Valery Gergiev have managed to do here, to judge from the results. From the very opening chord, which somehow gives an almost Hollywood feel to the famous descending piano passage that starts the work, there is a sense of discovery that you don't expect to find in such a well-known piece. The dramatic bluster is all there. But so is some very delicate playing from both soloist and orchestra. Chopin's second piano concerto (the first to be written, but the second to be published) is no stranger to our concert platforms, either, and again we get a fresh, unhackneyed reading. As with the Grieg, Thibaudet's entrance is dramatic, and both soloist and conductor seem to take pleasure in bringing out the romanticism. If you have any doubts, try the deliciously lyrical Larghetto movement, and they will be instantly dispelled.--Keith Clarke