Olli Mustonen, Tapiola Sinfonietta – Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 4-5 (2009) [MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC]

Olli Mustonen, Tapiola Sinfonietta – Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 4-5 (2009) [MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC]
SACD Rip | SACD ISO | DST64 2.0 & 5.0 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | 72:31 minutes | PDF Booklet | 3,47 GB
or DSD64 2.0 Stereo (from SACD-ISO to Tracks.dsf) > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | PDF Booklet | 1,64 GB
or FLAC Stereo (carefully converted & encoded to tracks) 24bit/96 kHz | PDF Booklet | 1,39 MB
Features Stereo and Multichannel Surround Sound | Label: Ondine # ODE 1146-5

Olli Mustonen crowns his acclaimed cycle of Beethoven Piano Concertos with recordings of the famous concertos nos. 4 and 5. In line with the two earlier installments, he performs these two virtuoso works simultaneously as pianist and conductor – a demanding practice in line with Beethoven’s intentions, which can however be only seldom experienced in today’s concert life or on disc. Mustonen develops his visionary approach to these works together with the renowned chamber orchestra Tapiola Sinfonietta; together they have toured Europe with this program to much acclaim.This disc rounds out the Beethoven concerto cycle by the young Finnish pianist Olli Mustonen, earlier items of which have inspired wildly varied reactions among listeners. Mustonen is something of an innovator/radical/eccentric (take your pick), and his interpretations are revelatory for some, mannered for others. As usual, the truth is probably going to poke its head out somewhere in the middle, and Mustonen like every other pianist will be pegged for strengths and weaknesses. This disc offers, perhaps, good examples of both. Mustonen’s approach is at the same time dryly witty and oriented toward the excavation of the inner structures of the music (which is saying something). His tempos are variable, even to the point of inserting lengthy ritardandi into the music in order to bring out the inner voices of chords and cadential passages, which take on unsuspected new significance in his readings. His solo sections are lively and quite distinct from the orchestral music that corresponds to them. Start at the very beginning with the opening movement of the Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58, where the unexpected piano solo statement at the outset is treated very brightly and playfully. The effect is to separate the solo and orchestral spheres, and this tendency continues through both concertos. Mustonen’s piano, even to a degree in the massive Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73, is an imp, tugging and stretching at the basic thematic material laid down in the orchestra. This by and large works better in the formally relaxed fourth concerto than in the Piano Concerto No. 5, where Mustonen is in danger of diluting the dramatically large spaces Beethoven constructs. More generally, Mustonen is one of a number of young artists borrowing insights from the historical-performance movement while using familiar modern instruments. He plays a modern piano, and from the keyboard he conducts the 40-member Tapiola Sinfonietta, which delivers a crisp sound and responds closely to what’s happening on the piano, if possible. Listeners will naturally be individual in their feelings toward Mustonen’s performances, but it’s hard to imagine anyone being bored by them, and that’s all to the good. Ondine’s sound is top-notch, and the booklet notes (in English, German, and Finnish) provide basic information about the music and its circumstances of origin.

Tracklist:

01. Piano Concerto No.4 in G Major, Op.58: I Allegro moderato
02. Piano Concerto No.4 in G Major, Op.58: II. Andante con moto
03. Piano Concerto No.4 in G Major, Op.58: III. Rondo. Vivace
04. Piano Concerto No 5 in E-Flat Major, Op.73: I. Allegro
05. Piano Concerto No 5 in E-Flat Major, Op.73: II. Adagio un poco moto
06. Piano Concerto No 5 in E-Flat Major, Op.73: III. Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo

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