Maurizio Pollini, Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado - Brahms: Piano Concertos Nos.1 & 2 (2000)

While many agree that Pollini's Chopin, Beethoven and Schumann are incredible, his recordings of the Brahms piano concertos seem to draw more mixed reviews. I don't understand why; I believe they rank with the best.

This is my favorite recording of the Op. 15 Concerto, right up there with Fleisher/Szell. They each outdo each other in particular aspects (Fleisher really nails the second movement), but those where Pollini excels are more important to me. This is particularly true in the first movement, where Pollini avoids the temptation to rush through the most dramatic parts. The superior sound quality of Pollini/Abbado is also a plus.

As for the Op. 83 Concerto, this recording and the Gilels/Jochum are my favorites. Gilels actually beats Pollini at his own game in the first movement; he doesn't allow the excitement to drive the tempo to rapid excess. So Gilels gets the nod for the first movement, and for the third as well. But Pollini wins out with the other two, where his approach melds perfectly with the underlying force Brahms infused into them. Thus, I go back and forth between the two recordings.

Overall, this is a wonderful album. While I encourage anyone to explore multiple interpretations of these two great concertos, I'd be perfectly content if the Pollini/Abbado recordings were the only ones I owned.