Pollini: Beethoven Piano Concerto No.5 Mvt II

If you need reference recordings of the Beethoven piano concerti, do not neglect the Pollini/Böhm collaboration from the 1980’s. Their ”Emperor” recording on Deutsche Grammophone from 1984 was internationally recognized and Pollini was described as the definition of the modern pianist.

With Pollini before our eyes, we therefore present the second movement from Beethoven´s ”Emperor” concerto no. 5 under Claudio Abbado, recorded in 1967, seven years after Pollini´s sensational 1960 victory at the Warszaw Chopin Competition.

We have become used to the fact that Pollini’s tone is crystalline, his textures transparent and his tempi perfect. His hallmark is balance, and his recording of the complete Chopin Études in 1990 has become a main frame of reference.

For anyone wanting to explore these qualities, his recordings of Debussy (1994 + 1999) and his recent Grammy-winning CD of Chopin´s Nocturnes (2006) on Deutsche Grammophone are highly recommended.