Krystian Zimerman, Wiener Philharmoniker, Leonard Bernstein - Brahms: Piano Concerto No. 2 (1985)

The first movement of Brahm's B flat Piano Concerto is marked Allegro non troppo, but it is not untraditional to begin this work relatively slowly and then press onwards to establish full momentum at the first orchestral tutti. Bernstein's opening tempo is a leisurely Andante and the pace almost slows to Adagio before a burst of energy from the pianist signals that the performance is going to spring to life with the orchestral re-statement of the main theme... One realizes that Bernstein and Zimerman have established a masterly understanding of the work, and their artistic symbiosis is impressive... There are moments of genuine grandeur, and poetry too, as when the horns steal in seductively to announce the first movement's recapitulation. In the second movement Bernstein again pulls back at the tranquille e dolce and Zimerman is at one with him in his considered response... The andante is poetically intense, with the cello solo played con amore and a measured tempo justified by the rapt concentration. Towards the end where Brahms's marking is piu adagio, the piu is emphasized, but the sustained pianissimo has such strength of feeling that the listener surely must become involved. The finale's balance between bravura and lyricism is managed with considerable flair... -- Ivan March