With the bewildering
number of recorded performances of standard
repertoire available to collectors we
might start to lose sight of the magnitude
of the undertaking. At around the fifty
minute mark, each of the Brahms piano
concertos makes stupendous demands on
the soloist, and not only from the technical
point of view. As she launches the apparently
easy-going finale of the second concerto,
especially in a live performance, she
must really be wondering, as Karajan
used to about Mahler’s Fifth Symphony,
in which life she began the work.
These performances
are not new and have already been reviewed
on this site. Many collectors will already
know and admire them, but they are presented
here in excellent, newly remastered
sound and both discs are available for
the price of one. Those who have been
following the Concert Artist series
of Joyce Hatto performances but have
not yet encountered these particular
issues will know what to expect and
will not be disappointed. And for those
new to the pianist or for whom the name
evokes only vague memories, I heartily
commend them to you.
The approach to both
concertos brings a subtle balance between
the sober and the dramatic. What strikes
the listener at the opening of both
concertos is that the tempo is on the
slow side, but in no time the concentration
of the playing allays any doubts. This
is in part thanks to excellent orchestral
playing and magisterial direction on
the part of René Köhler.
The bass line is never neglected, and
he seems to have a knack of bringing
out, without a hint of self-consciousness,
the lower and inner parts of the string
ensemble, many of which we find we are
hearing for the first time. The orchestra
itself plays extremely well, clearly
inspired by their soloist and conductor,
and there is some very characterful
playing from wind soloists. The all-important
horns are excellent, too, in both concertos.
Conductor and soloist
seem perfectly to understand the role
of the piano in these two works. They
are not concertos which pitch the soloist
against the orchestra in mighty conflict,
nor yet is it sufficient to see the
piano as a concertante or obbligato
instrument. The truth lies somewhere
between the two views. Of course this
is a far more complex and subtle matter
than simply orchestral balance, though
soloist and conductor are expert at
making sure we hear everything we should.
It is to do with the interaction between
soloist and orchestra, and the way in
which the soloist must adapt her playing
to suit that role at any given time.
Joyce Hatto is a commanding player who
nonetheless never seeks the limelight.
She is at the service of the composer
at all times, and the final chords of
these concertos leave the listener reflecting
on Brahms’ achievements rather than
that of the performers’. This is all
the more remarkable when we consider
the playing itself. From the mighty
trills in the first movement of the
D minor concerto to the subtle, inward
quality of its slow movement Hatto produces
playing as individual as any pianist,
though it is, of course, a very different
kind of personality which emerges here
than in her recordings of, for example,
the Tchaikovsky concertos.
Another characteristic
of these performances is a sense of
the work’s architecture. The playing
is rugged rather than precious, and
once again we have the impression that
Brahms’ intentions are the performers’
priority. There is a sense of inevitability
about the playing, and the feeling of
growth and development in each concerto
is emphasised.
A few particular points
now. The opening tutti of the
First Concerto is impressive and commanding.
The tempo, as already noted, is slow,
but pulse and movement are both emphasised,
and nowhere does the tempo drag. This
is Brahms orchestral playing at its
best. The arrival of the soloist – surely
one of the most beautiful in the concerto
repertoire – is perfectly prepared and
anticipated. Detailed control of phrasing
and dynamics produces one of the most
inward and touching slow movements I
have yet heard in this concerto, and
the lively finale is particularly well
done, the humour of the fugato passage
perfectly realised by the orchestra
and, when she joins them, the soloist
herself. The opening of the Second Concerto
will seem to some listeners even slower,
but surrender to it, listen to it on
its own terms and the control of the
playing throughout the movement soon
convinces. The second movement – Brahms’
"tiny, tiny wisp of a scherzo"
– is particularly successful. I was
looking forward to the recapitulation
where the orchestra and soloist change
places, and Joyce Hatto’s stupendous
bass octaves do not disappoint. The
slow movement is blessed with the same
qualities as that of the First Concerto,
and the cello soloist clearly sees his
role as section leader with an important
solo passage to play rather than as
a soloist in his own right, a point
of view which is fine by me. The finale
goes wonderfully well, smiling where
it should and leaving us to ponder,
as it also should, why Brahms decided
on a relatively lightweight finale like
this in such a heavyweight work.
No-one will buy these
discs for the couplings, but they will
not be disappointed if they do. Joyce
Hatto plays these solo works with enormous
authority and insight. There is great
luminosity and clarity in the playing
here, the fragments of melody and their
often highly charged accompaniment figures
superbly integrated. More remarkable
still is the elusive, ambiguous nature
of this music, especially in the later
pieces, which is perfectly realised
by Joyce Hatto.
This is playing of
the very highest quality and comparing
these performances to others seems irrelevant,
the idea of a "best buy" Brahms
Piano Concerto even distasteful, yet
inevitably Joyce Hatto’s performances
have sent me back to others on my shelves.
Amongst them – sad to say – the most
convincing and authoritative tend to
come from the past: Arrau, Backhaus,
Gilels and – a personal favourite –
Serkin. Joyce Hatto easily finds her
place in this hallowed company.
William Hedley
see also Jonathan
Woolf's review of Piano
Concerto No 1 and Piano
Concerto No 2
