Eduard van Beinum & Concertgebouw Orchestra = BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, OP. 73 “Emperor”; SCHUMANN: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54 – Myra Hess, piano/Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam/Eduard van Beinum
Tahra TAH 672, 71:10 [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****:
The legacy of Dutch conductor Eduard van Beinum has two additions to his concerto discography, courtesy of radio broadcasts of public concerts: the Beethoven Emperor Concerto (15 October 1952) and the Schumann Concerto (15 November 1956), each featuring the British virtuoso Myra Hess (1895-1960). Always a conscientious virtuoso, Hess did not consistently pack the digital arsenal to engulf the works she championed, but she manages to convey the dignified poetry of the Beethoven E-flat Concerto without strain. Beinum, however, invests the tuttis with considerable dramatic power, all the while meticulously and faithfully supporting Hess with the interior nuance that often illuminates the structure of the work. French horn and clarinet, for instance, vividly project the rhythmic pulse in the recapitulation prior to those trickling arpeggios that suddenly soar into the aether and call for the march that also melts into plastic runs for the piano over pizzicato strings.
A beautifully molded Adagio ensues, all poetry and diaphanous texture, intimacy the rule. The transition to the Rondo Finale moves slowly, almost an affectation; but then Hess leaps forward, and the dancing spirit reigns supreme. The sense of play enjoys a delicious sparkle, and Hess appears eminently suited to this movement, over which she exerts fine control. Beinum himself asserts several titanic gestures in Beethoven, especially when the tympani and trumpets stride forth. The last pages alternate between gambol and canter, a fleet rendition that has retained a discreet measure of heroic humanity.
The Schumann Concerto stood as Hess’ calling-card, and this radio performance is no exception. Ever lyrical and graceful, Hess and Beinum traverse the repeated phrases with a virile affection that retains a palpable affection for Schumann’s romantic conceits. The approach to the first movement proves expansive, both Hess and Beinum lavishing ample breathing room for phrases; and the cadence prior to the introspectively fiery cadenza might have been hewn from a sequoia. The Hess trill is in fine form this evening.
Having set the moderate tempo for the Intermezzo, Hess and Beinum educe all sorts of pre-Tristan passion from the falling phrase lengths. The sense of communion waxes strong enough for us to feel as though we were eavesdroppers at a lovers’ tryst. A bit of intrusive radio noise spoils the sonic purity of this movement and moments from the Finale. The last movement Allegro vivace proceeds rather more allegretto e marcato, but the spirit clearly resounds with glittery Eusebius. Beinum’s orchestra contributes the Florestan – aggressive, element, and even those throes remain civil. The last pages, all grazioso, exemplify a pair of true acolytes’ devotion to the Schumann ethos, gestures an appreciative connoisseur will savor without qualification.
The CD booklet includes for collectors of Eduard van Beinum his complete discography through early 2009.
–Gary Lemco
