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Mendelssohn: 2 Piano Concertos - Helmchen, Herreweghe

Mendelssohn: 2 Piano Concertos - Helmchen, Herreweghe

PentaTone Classics  PTC 5186366

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical - Orchestral


Mendelssohn: The Piano Concertos, Rondo brilliant Op. 29

Martin Helmchen (piano)
Royal Flemish Philharmonic
Philippe Herreweghe (conductor)

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Review by John Broggio - October 9, 2010

Another superlative release from Martin Helmchen, ably accompanied with just as sure a sense of musicianship by Philippe Herreweghe's Royal Flemish Philharmonic.

The most direct competition is Mendelssohn: 2 Piano Concertos - Leonskaja, Volkov but instead of offering some Songs Without Words as Leonskaja does, Helmchen instead chooses another concertante work. Looking at the track timings then one might erroneously assume that Leonskaja's accounts are the more thrilling and scintillating. Helmchen's clarity of articulation leaves one in no doubt that nothing is being glossed over whereas there are certainly moments where Leonskaja is unsteady or chooses to emphasise the left hand chords over right hand filigree. Where Helmchen also scores is not just that his finger work is faultless but that the rubato is vivid and sensitive - in direct comparison, Leonskaja's reading is all too often easy-listening; ironically Leonskaja set down the concertos in concert performances and Helmchen in the studio but to this listener it sounds like the reverse! It also doesn't help Leonskaja's cause that her playing sounds thoroughly Romantic which has the unfortunate side effect of making these works sound like salon music whereas Helmchen rightly remembers that Mendelssohn's writing is grounded in Classicism.

There are just too many moments to single where a smile creeps onto the lips and the heart bursts with joy at such élan. Such feelings are aided by the (scaled down) orchestra that also chooses hard timpani sticks and natural brass to thrilling effect. Vibrato is deployed as an ornament and most delightfully so in the divisi cello sections of the slow movement of the first concerto. Like Brautigam in his Beethoven concerto cycle, Helmchen has learned how to get a modern piano to dazzle in the upper registers without also being cloudy beneath which aids things tremendously.

As if that wasn't enough, Pentatone grant these marvellous performances wonderful sound in which the balance between piano and orchestra must be considered perfect.

Copyright © 2010 John Broggio and HRAudio.net

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Sonics (Multichannel):

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