There’s a majesty and unselfishness to these performances that finds Elisabeth Leonskaja true to her words: “When I play, I am not presenting myself on the stage, but the music I am playing. It is the music that matters.” In the Fourth Concerto she distils an attractive mix of poetry and fantasy unfolded at leisurely if never sagging tempos, and Tugan Sokhiev and his (then, 2017/18) Toulouse ensemble offer unstinting support that is a pleasure in itself, especially from the distinctive woodwinds, all captured in tangible sound that does as much justice to the orchestra as to the piano. The first-movement cadenza is the more-usual of Beethoven’s two, the slow movement finds the pianist gently putting-down the (here) mildly belligerent strings – Sokhiev had maybe decided in advance that they were onto a loser given Leonskaja’s capacity for saintly responses, and the Finale is deliciously playful, time on its side. The Third Concerto is no-less-fine, weighty and generously expressive, sublime in the slow movement, expansive, and profoundly satisfying throughout. Quite why Warner has waited several years to release these gems is worth wondering, but they are nearly here… Warner 5054197263095 is due on April 7.
Elisabeth Leonskaja records Beethoven’s Piano Concertos 3 & 4 with Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse & Tugan Sokhiev for Warner Classics.
