Chopin: The Piano Concertos

Lang Lang - Chopin: The Piano Concertos

Chopin: The Piano Concertos
List Price: $16.98
Our Price: $7.98
You Save: $9.00 (53%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $4.95 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more CD details
Listen soundtracks from this album


(Click here)
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store

CD Details

Artist: Lang Lang
Brand: LANG LANG
Composer: Chopin
Conductor: Zubin Mehta
Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2008-09-09
Music Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Soundtracks:
  1. I Allegro maestoso
  2. II Romance: Larghetto
  3. III Rondo: Vivace
  4. I Maestoso
  5. II Larghetto
  6. III Allegro vivace

Music reviews of Chopin: The Piano Concertos

Music Review: A sublmial reading of Chopin's: and I bet that's the way Chopin would have it!
Rating: 5 Stars

Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1, the second one composed by him, was first performed during one of Chopin's "farewell" concerts before leaving Poland. The treatment by Lang Lang and Mehta in this recording is suitably nostaglic, though in terms of tempo not nearly as fast as most other virtuoso (notably Argerich, Yundi Li).
First Movement:
The opening movement's nearly 4 minutes orchestration sounded languid, but the piece soon gained beautiful momentum once the piano solo entered - and note the beautiful touching Lang Lang gave, together with the lively nuances to each phrase! Then at around 9 minutes the development sections started to explode. You may argue that the orchestration again was not nearly as explosive - but is the piece really `explosive'?
The solo passages assuaged sorrow, soothed dejection, and gave a sublimal account of the colourful emotions starting 12:40 minutes. This is one of the best performances of the section I've ever heard of. The rest of the movement leading up to the grand finale is a sheer ethereal experience, and the cadenza from 18:30 onwards is a real poetic wonder in the hands of Lang Lang.
A word of caution - the sound of the orchestra is less than authentic. Listen to the introduction section, and the coda section - the winds were OUT OF TUNE!
The Second Movement `Romance' consists of an even-tempo romantic account without deployment of any excessive rubato playing or any dragging. The touching again accounted for the sheer beauty of tone and freely breathable phrasing.
The Third Movement Rondo Vivace is not as break-neck paced as Yundi Li's. Notwithstanding, the performance was not without brio or sparkle. The syncopations were clever, and the accelerando smart at 2:55 to 3:00. Lang Lang did not choose to pound his way home swiftly in this live performance, but preferred to play the movement with striking contrasts. The scales at around 4:30 were brilliantly and cleaning done. It is only at around 7:30 that one hears a slight `slacking' in the reigns both by the pianist and the conductor. This lasted for around one minute, leading to the grand finale - the Coda. As if `all quiet on the Western front', a hushed atmosphere anticipated the great `athletic run' in the Coda starting from 9:30. Notwithstanding Lang Lang's diabolical technique, the Coda of the Third Movement is admittedly somewhat of an anti-climax to a great performance. (A much earlier live performance by Lang Lang and Foster in Great Britain would serve to bring the contrast home.)
The No. 2 Concerto is a studio recording.
This time, the orchestra gives a beautiful introduction in the First Movement's opening. The piano enters in nostalgic gravity. The embellishments, crystal-clear in the hands of Lang Lang, bespeak the highly vocal style that this Concerto has came to be famous for. The First Movement is a finely woven piece both emotionally and technically. The section starting 7:20 is fiery and daunting, followed by waves of nuances on the piano, leading up to another heroic outburst at 10:25.
No. 2's Second Movement:
The ardour of Chopin's for the beautiful but unattainable young soprano Constancia Gladkowska, according to the liner notes, is being substituted for by Lang Lang's love for his parents.
The `new treatment' to this Movement involves some explosive moments by Lang Lang that are rather unexpected. Luckily, the piece ends in a poetic reverie.
The Third Movement is a more `cheeky' reading than the rest. The youthful playfulness of Lang Lang surfaces at random, culminating in a brilliant Coda, hovering over an overall wistfully poetic mood.
More Chopin: The Piano Concertos free music reviews:
1 2 3

Description of Chopin: The Piano Concertos

The long-awaited and highly anticipated recording of Lang Lang performing Chopin's Piano Concertos nos. 1 & 2 has arrived. Both concertos are among the most beloved in the repertoire and Lang Lang's many concert performances frequently receive the highest praise. Lang Lang is joined by Zubin Mehta and the Vienna Philharmonic in a brilliant pairing of talent and temperament. This is sure to become a benchmark recording of these beloved concertos. Lang Lang has sold over 100,000 CDs in the US alone and will be on tour September to November throughout the US, including many performances of the Chopin concertos.

Classical CDs
Music Genres
Bestsellers in Classical CDs
Winterscapes ImageWinterscapes
by London Philharmonic
Prophetic Voice; Published: 2000-07; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $2.74
Price in other shops: $6.99
The Queen, the Bear, & the Bumblebee ImageThe Queen, the Bear, & the Bumblebee
by Dini Petty
Children's Group; Published: 2001-03; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $13.40
Price in other shops: $13.98
Beethoven Lives Upstairs Cdr ImageClassical Kids - Beethoven Lives Upstairs Cdr
Release date: 2000-04-05; Music CD
Best price: $25.98
Tchaikovsky (Life and Works (Naxos)) ImageTchaikovsky (Life and Works (Naxos))
by Malcolm Sinclair, Jeremy Siepmann
Naxos; Published: 2003-11; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $35.99
Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS] ImageJose Carreras - Jose Carreras - Jubileum Concert [VHS]
Sling Shot; Release date: 2000-04-18; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $5.87
Price in other shops: $9.99
Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS] ImageTchaikovsky - The Nutcracker / Nureyev, Park, Royal Ballet [VHS]
Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-09-09; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.94
Price in other shops: $29.95
Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS] ImageRambert Dance Company - Lonely Town Lonley Street / Sergeant's Early Dream [VHS]
Kultur Video; Release date: 1997-10-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $24.99
Price in other shops: $29.95
Winter Music: Composing the North ImageWinter Music: Composing the North
by John Luther Adams
Wesleyan; Published: 2004-11-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.73
Price in other shops: $25.95
Puccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] ImagePuccini - La Fanciulla del West / Santi, Domingo, Neblett, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]
Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops: $29.95
Verdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS] ImageVerdi - Falstaff / Giulini, Bruson, Ricciarelli, Nucci, Royal Opera Covent Garden [VHS]
Kultur Video; Release date: 1999-05-25; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $12.95
Price in other shops: $29.95
Similar CDs
Lang Lang Live in Vienna (2 CD/ 1 DVD) ImageLang Lang - Lang Lang Live in Vienna (2 CD/ 1 DVD)
Release date: 2010-08-24; Music CD
Best price: $11.46
Price in other shops: $22.98
Lang Lang Live in Vienna (2 CD) ImageLang Lang - Lang Lang Live in Vienna (2 CD)
Release date: 2010-08-24; Music CD
Best price: $8.61
Price in other shops: $15.98
Lang Lang Live in Vienna [Blu-ray] ImageLang Lang - Lang Lang Live in Vienna [Blu-ray]
Sony; Release date: 2010-11-22; Blu-ray
Best price: $11.99
Price in other shops: $19.98
Liszt: My Piano Hero (Deluxe Edition) ImageLang Lang - Liszt: My Piano Hero (Deluxe Edition)
Release date: 2011-10-04; Music CD
Best price: $11.23
Price in other shops: $15.98
Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: First Piano Concertos ImageTchaikovsky, Mendelssohn: First Piano Concertos
Release date: 2003-07-15; Music CD
Best price: $5.49
Price in other shops: $16.98
Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Paganini Rhapsody ImageRachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2; Paganini Rhapsody
Release date: 2005-02-08; Music CD
Best price: $4.15
Price in other shops: $16.98
Best of Lang Lang ImageLang Lang - Best of Lang Lang
Release date: 2010-08-24; Music CD
Best price: $7.53
Price in other shops: $11.98
Tchaikovsky / Rachmaninov: Piano Trios ImageTchaikovsky / Rachmaninov: Piano Trios
Release date: 2009-10-20; Music CD
Best price: $8.95
Price in other shops: $16.98
The Magic Of Lang Lang ImageLang Lang - The Magic Of Lang Lang
Baker & Taylor; Release date: 2008-02-05; Music CD
Best price: $7.92
Price in other shops: $16.98
Liszt: My Piano Hero ImageLang Lang - Liszt: My Piano Hero
Release date: 2011-10-04; Music CD
Best price: $8.82
Price in other shops: $11.98
Books | DVD Video | VHS Video | Health and Personal Care | Digital Cameras and Photo | Kitchen and Housewares | Tools and Hardware | Sports Equipment | Dresses shirts shoes apparel pants
Copyright © 2004-2007 music-hills.com
Google
 
Web music-hills.com
Compare prices and find music notes for more than one million Music CD titles