Even among the many discs coupling these two parallel piano concertos in A minor, this new issue stands out. Leif Ove Andsnes, the most celebrated of Norwegian pianists among the most sensitive of young artists, first made his mark on disc in the Grieg Concerto, and this new version, recorded live in Berlin, is just as spontaneous-sounding. The performance is also a degree more urgent than in his 1990 recording, while the Berlin Philharmonic is at its warmest under Mariss Jansons.
The Schumann, too, brings glorious playing from both soloist and orchestra, a performance similarly combining spontaneity and concentration, dedication and poetry, with no hint of self-consciousness or routine.
