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| Review by Gussy May 10, 2009 (5 of 7 found this review helpful)
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Dear All,
No hesitation recommending these discs at all. We´ve all heard this music a thousand times before but Pizarro and Mackerras manage to bring out a freshness and vitality not present on every Beethoven concerto recording. The SACD stereo sound from Linn is excellent and similar to the Mozart symphonies; crisp and clear strings with a full bass. The piano sound is not too "close" and, in my opinion, sits in very good balance with the orchestra. I´m very impressed with Pizarro - he plays the forte parts with gusto and also has the ability to remain calm during quieter moments. Beethoven afficianados may wish to pick at the performance in greater detail than me but to my ears a very musical performance indeed - five stars.
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| Review by Michelten May 19, 2009 (6 of 8 found this review helpful)
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It is arguably as hard to tell who is your favourite composer as to tell what is your favourite disc; for me, it depends on which day you ask. This one however must definitely be within the top end of my list at any time, and it is because it brings excellence and delight from many fronts. I won’t elaborate much on the composition, still Beethoven’s narrative writing makes this concertos’ melodic lines very engaging and emotional. Overall, Pizarro’s interpretation is formidably clear, with perfect correlation between the story line and his phrasing, dynamic range and accents. The sound of the aliquot-strung Blüthner is simply sublime; few recorded instruments I’ve heard with such combination of brilliance, upper register sonority and silky sound texture. I find the orchestra’s style to be passionate, yet with calmed elegance in a rather period style, with little or no vibrato in the string sections and well defined and placed instrumentation; otherwise with excellence balance between orchestra and piano, this last right on stage with compelling presence.
Five star for the recording (still hoping one day Linn will master in DSD !).
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Sonics: 
