Beethoven: Piano Concertos No.1-5
Krystian Zimerman (piano)
Simon Rattle / London Symphony (DG)
(scroll down for English review)
齊默曼和拉圖的貝多芬鋼琴協奏曲全集終於推出，那是去年底在倫敦封城期間，於倫敦交響樂團的大本營灌錄，照片展示樂手以極大的社交距離坐位，甚至可能是一人一支咪。但也不用憑此特殊安排影響判斷，聽錄音就是聽錄音，除非假得太過分。
半年前我評論過搶閘推出試聽的《第一》，這次我既不會沿同一思路去談，更不會逐首去談。我的評價就是，齊默曼選的速度太快，樂隊在這速度依舊雄壯，也有細緻的造句，但鋼琴就相對單薄及單調。我覺得齊默曼就是追求速度，只求狂風掃落葉。琴音表面上清秀，但缺乏細節及歌唱。
以齊默曼的高要求，我會將責任歸他，即是不會想其他理由為他開脫，我亦不是說這是個差劣、你絕不會享受的錄音，我主觀的意見而已。或者齊默曼這種彈法，在別人眼中是細膩，又或者雄渾的樂隊、樂曲本身仍能給聽者美妙的聆聽體驗。
After releasing a sneak preview on Beethoven day last year, Zimerman and Rattle’s Beethoven piano concerto cycle is finally out. Recorded during lockdown at LSO’s home base, session photos showed that players sat so far apart from one another that each player had his/her own mic. But there’s no need to be bothered by such arrangement as long as the results aren’t too fake.
I won’t go over each concerto and I’ll make a general statement instead. First I’d like to assert that it goes without saying Zimerman is his own man, how he played was entirely his decision. So my opinion is that Zimerman’s tempi were too quick for him. At such tempi Rattle and his players could still deliver a massive sound with very detailed phrasings, yet Zimerman sounded so brittle and monotonous. I think Zimerman was just out to prove he could play very quickly and impetuously but I couldn’t find the necessary details and singing essential for a tasteful interpretation.
I’ll never find an excuse for him as the recordings must have been approved by him. He wanted it that way, and I don’t like that. Some might find his playing delicate, sure, why not. And most listeners would be swept by LSO’s powerful performance.