Title: Pinnacle at the Pinnacle
Product review: Two of the greatest performances ever--not just of Beethoven but of ANYTHING. There's no shortage of Beethoven 4's that are the soul of poetry (Kempff, Arrau, Rubinstein); or that muscle up and leave you breathless by the end (Ashkenazy/Solti). This one does both. It is utterly unrushed in I, with plenty of opportunities taken to smell the roses. But the power of it all never lets up, and by the time it's over, you've been taken to a deeply spiritual, emotionally affirming place. Likewise, there are many powerful "Emperors" out there (Serkin/Bernstein; Kovacevich/Davis; Fleisher/Szell); but none as heartbreakingly lyrical in II or as imperiously powerful (at a slower, more emphatic gait than usual) in III. EMI remastered this for use in its Recordings of the Century series, but this one --though a bit hissier--retains more juice to its sound. A must.
Would you say this review depicts the product in a flattering or unflattering light?
