I'm now 65 year old. In the late 1960s, when I was in my teens, full of angst and loneliness, a serious and very good student, including a student of the piano, someone who'd gotten as far as Chopin and Granados and a late Haydn sonata, but who had never heard this concerto, I found myself one summer afternoon at a concert outdoors in the Frost Ampitheatre at Stanford University, rows of chairs on the stairsteps of grass and a white band-shell behind the orchestra, listening to this gentleman, Mr. Gelber, play exactly this music. I couldn't believe my ears. The first movement burst over me like a storm, as I suppose it must all first-time hearers, and certainly adolescent boys (which is meant to be the highest possible praise both of teenage boys and of this music) and when, at the return of the theme, a wind blew up in the oak trees and redwoods, and the sheet music in the violin section started fluttering from the stands, with half the musicians still playing and the other half scrambling to pull the pages from the stage and place them visibly again-well, as you can see, it's fifty years later and I still remember. Beauty does that to us, doesn't it? And depth and sincerity. Marc Vincenti
I remember, for what its worth, listening on an old portable recors player, a World Record Club LP as storm clouds gathered outside the windows, perfect setting for a young teenager getting his first taste of Brahms, and this performance, like Pollini'ss with Steinberg is the epitpme of what I could have hoped to hear in this concerto that liiterally moves the elements
This thrilling concerto invites widely different approaches: from the almost chamber-like Alfred Hoehn /Max Fiedler radio broadcast to the heroic Myra Hess/Mitropoulos concert. But the one that floored me so many decades ago and ever since is this perfect partnership of Gelber and Decker in Munich. Youthful but missing no wisdom (what a second movement); epic but never savage or grandiloquent- altogether beautiful. Heard Gelber live and couldn’t believe he achieved fullness and velocity despite his physical challenges. So underrated, not least in Beethoven for EMI and Denon. Hope he and his fellow Argentinian from the class of ‘41 - Martha - stay well. Thanks for sharing.
Gelber .... Uno stato di Grazia!!!! Altro che pomposo e per vecchie signore.... E' ,Una tra le più grandi interpretazioni che io abbia mai ascoltato di questo difficilissimo brano. Grande, assolutamente grande B.L. Gelber!
The most passionate performance of one of the greatest concertos ever written. Gelber's big, rich sound coupled with his sensitive playing is simply incredible. From the slightest of pianissimo to the most thrilling of fortissimo, Gelber takes the listener onto an incredibly journey. At his best like this, Gelber played at the highest level - and should have been considered one of the absolute top pianists of his day.
Gelber plays this masterpeace as someome only plays a great work once early in his life , and it stands alone unmatched by Arrau, Pollini, and Gilels. Somewhere in my collection is the original vinyl coupling with the Handel Variations equally wonderful. Great BLG !!
Merci d'avoir mis en ligne se superbe concerto. J'ai le 5 et le 3 concerto de Beethoven par lui et Ferdinand Leitner : un monument ! Gelber est une référence.
This is my first time hearing this and i have to say... bloody hell! I don't think i have ever heard anything quite so extraordinary. An beautifull, exquisite piece. Thank you.
@Dankbarkeit1980 Probably the greatest interepreter of Brahms piano concerti. I have had the chance to listen to them in concert and f*** how great this was!!!
Wonderful performance. At long last I have another performance that I can enjoy listening to beside the powerful Fleischer/Szell/Cleveland Orchestra recording. Thank you for posting and pointing this hidden (to me) gem out.
I had the great fortune of hearing BLG play this concerto years ago (1973?) under the baton of Dorati at the Kennedy Center in DC... absolutely inspired playing. On the next night, he played the B flat concerto. What a tour de force.
there are no words ... I've heard some of the greats with the Brahms I and II .. Serkin, Pollini, Van Cliburn (the 2nd Br.) as well as current world wide sensation Helen Grimaud ... not even Serkin moves me to the extent that Bruno does ... wish he'd come to Dallas!
What a great composition; one that moves the inner being and provides a grand measure of solace and peace. It makes stress disappear; replacing it with contentment and relaxation. What an opportunity to spend an hour in quiet reflection.
I would like to comment to this video. First, an excellent recording (also in one piece!). Second absolutely perfect accompanying text. Here you find all possible datas you may need. I wish everybody who puts something on here were so precise! Thanks David, that´s how it should be always done.
Majestätische und zugleich lyrische Aufführung dieses perfekt konstruierten Meisterwerks mit angenehmer Agogik und angemessener Dynamik. Es tut mir leid, dass die Tonqualität dieser Kassette ist nicht ideal für präzise Reproduktion.
Al escucharlo sin querer se me viene su rostro a la mente, Gelber uno de los tantos grandes interpretes que ha dado Latinoamérica en toda su extensión y Argentina en este caso particular !
44:09 ...... the heavy depressive masochist Brahms , who couldn't get his Domina Clara (look in the eyes of the guy) , and the poor invalid Gelber (he was club-footed from his childhood) , two massive frustrations giving us this fantastic and healthy agressive beauty , what a Victory !
What sort of nonsense is this? Let biographers look into Brahm's eyes, if they wish - but it has nothing to do with an appreciation of his compositions. Let the music stand on its own , free of worthless conjecture.
How different people can get and understand differently my modest comments ... this is funny ... For my jewish friend Hertzberg (and I am not jewish at all !) it seems he could understand the whole thing in one second .... and for the wasp-neighbour , this is nonsense and worthless .... (only protestant people know what is worthy or not ) , please , don't kill me , I am only a poor bavarian catholic .... hahahah .... !
Thanks Fritz - nice to have the feedback. You may be right or wrong in your conjecture - who knows for certain? - but it has no bearing on the music, in my (Jewish) view.... The concerto stands on its own, as a great work of art: of almost-transcendental quality. But each to his or her own, I guess, so I gladly withdraw the word 'worthless' in my previous comment. It just seemed worthless to me, no other. But enough words from me. I will enjoy the music. All the best - Christopher.
I have always rejected Gelber: he seemed to me somehow pedantic and pompous...very much for old ladies... In this account he is simply in a state of grace. So authoritative and yet with so much delicacy and at all times alert and finger-crisped, a very high-voltage performance. The late Decker and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra provide a very emphatic support. No wonder this version has received the Grand Prix du Disque!
This is my 2nd choice for this piece. Data I gathered: R:1965/6/4,5 Bürgerbräu, München. EMI Canada: CMZ 7 62883 2, TOCE 8935;16310, 5 86865;86867, 2564 63535 4, LP: HQS 1068, CS 2102, S 4416, AA 8175, EAA 85046, EAC 80071, 7 62656 1, MX: SAXW 9628/9, YPTX 1194/5.
I definitely agree on Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky, David, but it would be very hard for me to leave Beethoven's 5th out. Thank you for your wonderful channel.
A beautiful piano concerto magnificently played. Gelber is a GREAT pianist. But please stop grading composers, works and players... who has heard EVERY version (recorded or not) of something to come as an illuminato to say "best ever"... please
Wow...I"ve heard many versions of this as well, and this is unquestionably head and shoulders above the rest. Technically flawless. Unbelievably bright and crisp. what a phenomenally gifted pianist. That said, there are a few parts of Glenn Gould's wildly variable interpretation I like better (the infamous Bernstein/Gould collaboration), but I think Gelber would have played it better. That's tough to admit, since I consider Gould to be one of the finest ever, and a genius.
+davidhertzberg He was a victim of polio when he was just 7 years old. He was the prodigy pupil of great Italian maestro Vicente Scaramuzza whose amazing teaching output includes also Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim. I own the Argentina EMI edition of this disc. When I purchased it around 1974 I thought that it was actually the best of all times. But being myself Argentinean I thought I was exaggerating. As time has gone by I see everybody's comments and now I'm more than ever convinced that this recording is the benchmark against which all past and future recordings should be measured (what a lot of nobility in the unequaled 2nd movement, what a lot of sensitivity in a mere 24 year old pianist!!). Compared with Gelber, all other pianists seem to be in a hurry with this concerto (with Gilels a possible exception). Gelber's phrasing is unique, you can perceive the inner piano treasures in every bar. I remember that Gelber in the 70's was rated third only to Brendel and Pollini in that sacred Olympus of outstanding piano artistry. The concerto was recorded in June 1965 at the Burgerbrau, Munich. Enjoy this wonderful commentary: www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Apr14/Brahms_PC1_2564635354.htm
Well he comes to Lille in the 17th this mouth and I live in Lille . Maybe I should consider buying tickets . Edit : Gelber was playing the third of Rachmaninov . He used a little bit to much pedal , and missed many notes . It was great nonetheless . The Orchestra of Lille was awful , specially the violin and the viola sections . The conductor was a last minute replacement because the initial conductor was sick , and he did not made a good job . So yeah it was , meh .
More Brahms piano concerti: th-cam.com/video/l-v8nO-OAZQ/w-d-xo.html
I'm now 65 year old. In the late 1960s, when I was in my teens, full of angst and loneliness, a serious and very good student, including a student of the piano, someone who'd gotten as far as Chopin and Granados and a late Haydn sonata, but who had never heard this concerto, I found myself one summer afternoon at a concert outdoors in the Frost Ampitheatre at Stanford University, rows of chairs on the stairsteps of grass and a white band-shell behind the orchestra, listening to this gentleman, Mr. Gelber, play exactly this music. I couldn't believe my ears. The first movement burst over me like a storm, as I suppose it must all first-time hearers, and certainly adolescent boys (which is meant to be the highest possible praise both of teenage boys and of this music) and when, at the return of the theme, a wind blew up in the oak trees and redwoods, and the sheet music in the violin section started fluttering from the stands, with half the musicians still playing and the other half scrambling to pull the pages from the stage and place them visibly again-well, as you can see, it's fifty years later and I still remember. Beauty does that to us, doesn't it? And depth and sincerity.
Marc Vincenti
I remember, for what its worth, listening on an old portable recors player, a World Record Club LP as storm clouds gathered outside the windows, perfect setting for a young teenager getting his first taste of Brahms, and this performance, like Pollini'ss with Steinberg is the epitpme of what I could have hoped to hear in this concerto that liiterally moves the elements
This thrilling concerto invites widely different approaches: from the almost chamber-like Alfred Hoehn /Max Fiedler radio broadcast to the heroic Myra Hess/Mitropoulos concert. But the one that floored me so many decades ago and ever since is this perfect partnership of Gelber and Decker in Munich. Youthful but missing no wisdom (what a second movement); epic but never savage or grandiloquent- altogether beautiful. Heard Gelber live and couldn’t believe he achieved fullness and velocity despite his physical challenges. So underrated, not least in Beethoven for EMI and Denon. Hope he and his fellow Argentinian from the class of ‘41 - Martha - stay well. Thanks for sharing.
Gelber .... Uno stato di Grazia!!!! Altro che pomposo e per vecchie signore.... E' ,Una tra le più grandi interpretazioni che io abbia mai ascoltato di questo difficilissimo brano. Grande, assolutamente grande B.L. Gelber!
The most passionate performance of one of the greatest concertos ever written. Gelber's big, rich sound coupled with his sensitive playing is simply incredible. From the slightest of pianissimo to the most thrilling of fortissimo, Gelber takes the listener onto an incredibly journey. At his best like this, Gelber played at the highest level - and should have been considered one of the absolute top pianists of his day.
Gelber avait 26 ans lors de cet enregistrement et déjà un immense maître... Quelle interprétation titanesque !! Quel Brahmsien !!
One of the top 5 piano concertos ever written.
I love this - Call it soul, call it the absolute, this is an experience right into the Divine realm. Thanks, David.
Gelber plays this masterpeace as someome only plays a great work once early in his life , and it stands alone unmatched by Arrau, Pollini, and Gilels.
Somewhere in my collection is the original vinyl coupling with the Handel Variations equally wonderful. Great BLG !!
Merci d'avoir mis en ligne se superbe concerto.
J'ai le 5 et le 3 concerto de Beethoven par lui et Ferdinand Leitner : un monument ! Gelber est une référence.
Una de las versiones mas sublimes que pueda escucharse. Bruno Gelber es un Dios del piano, un artista inconmensurable...!!!
Gracias
Extraordinaire!! Et dire que je n'avais jamais entendu ce pianiste ... Quelle découverte! C'était intense. MERCI
La mejor grabación que escuché de tantos pianistas. Excepcional maestro Gelber!!!
This is my first time hearing this and i have to say... bloody hell! I don't think i have ever heard anything quite so extraordinary. An beautifull, exquisite piece. Thank you.
Merci Mr Bruno-Léonardo GELBER. Vous êtes une référence.
My gosh, what a great version!
@Dankbarkeit1980 Probably the greatest interepreter of Brahms piano concerti. I have had the chance to listen to them in concert and f*** how great this was!!!
Cuando J.Brahms escuchó esta versión desde el cielo,imagino que se le llenaron los ojos lágrimas....
Wonderful performance. At long last I have another performance that I can enjoy listening to beside the powerful Fleischer/Szell/Cleveland Orchestra recording. Thank you for posting and pointing this hidden (to me) gem out.
Great! Thanks for writing, greatly appreciated!
What a wealth of artistry! . The whole performance is unmatched including the spectacular finale.
What a brillant recording, David. Thank you!
Bravooooo maestro Bruno Gelber, la mejor performance que escuché, majestuosa!
I had the great fortune of hearing BLG play this concerto years ago (1973?) under the baton of Dorati at the Kennedy Center in DC... absolutely inspired playing. On the next night, he played the B flat concerto. What a tour de force.
Absolutely incredible, piano playing of the highest order & the orchestral playing is superb also
Thanks a lot, outstanding ...
there are no words ... I've heard some of the greats with the Brahms I and II .. Serkin, Pollini, Van Cliburn (the 2nd Br.) as well as current world wide sensation Helen Grimaud ... not even Serkin moves me to the extent that Bruno does ... wish he'd come to Dallas!
Agree, this is a unique and historic performance, thanks for writing, david
Grimaud recording with Nelsons is just not great. But that is mostly Nelsons fault who just makes the wind and brass so underpowered .
MAGNIFICO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
What a great composition; one that moves the inner being and provides a grand measure of solace and peace. It makes stress disappear; replacing it with contentment and relaxation. What an opportunity to spend an hour in quiet reflection.
Excellent ~ thank you!
Absolutamente majestuoso, gracias maestro Gelber.
I found the second movement truly heartbreaking.
P.S. Thanks a lot for the upload.
The transition at 12:53 is sublime.
I would like to comment to this video. First, an excellent recording (also in one piece!). Second absolutely perfect accompanying text. Here you find all possible datas you may need. I wish everybody who puts something on here were so precise! Thanks David, that´s how it should be always done.
Majestätische und zugleich lyrische Aufführung dieses perfekt konstruierten Meisterwerks mit angenehmer Agogik und angemessener Dynamik. Es tut mir leid, dass die Tonqualität dieser Kassette ist nicht ideal für präzise Reproduktion.
Excelente como siempre Gelber, orgullo argentino
MARAVILLOSO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thank you!
Al escucharlo sin querer se me viene su rostro a la mente, Gelber uno de los tantos grandes interpretes que ha dado Latinoamérica en toda su extensión y Argentina en este caso particular !
Wow! Now, that's a true drama.
44:09 ...... the heavy depressive masochist Brahms , who couldn't get his Domina Clara (look in the eyes of the guy) , and the poor invalid Gelber (he was club-footed from his childhood) , two massive frustrations giving us this fantastic and healthy agressive beauty , what a Victory !
+Fritz Maisenbacher (GA4N) Beautifully said. Thank you.
What sort of nonsense is this? Let biographers look into Brahm's eyes, if they wish - but it has nothing to do with an appreciation of his compositions. Let the music stand on its own , free of worthless conjecture.
How different people can get and understand differently my modest comments ... this is funny ... For my jewish friend Hertzberg (and I am not jewish at all !) it seems he could understand the whole thing in one second .... and for the wasp-neighbour , this is nonsense and worthless .... (only protestant people know what is worthy or not ) , please , don't kill me , I am only a poor bavarian catholic .... hahahah .... !
Thanks Fritz - nice to have the feedback.
You may be right or wrong in your conjecture - who knows for certain? - but it has no bearing on the music, in my (Jewish) view....
The concerto stands on its own, as a great work of art: of almost-transcendental quality.
But each to his or her own, I guess, so I gladly withdraw the word 'worthless' in my previous comment. It just seemed worthless to me, no other.
But enough words from me. I will enjoy the music.
All the best - Christopher.
No problem , Christopher , I didn't take it personnal . The interest of the thing is a free discussion , isn't it ?
(by the way , are you Jewish ?)
The whole piece is played phenomenally well. And the trills? Is there another pianist (recorded or not) that get them as well as Gelber does?
Fleisher
Martha...
Listened on France Musique 40 years ago... And never again ! A madeleine effect...
What did Gelber eat at the day of the recording , lion , snake , dynamite ?
I have always rejected Gelber: he seemed to me somehow pedantic and pompous...very much for old ladies...
In this account he is simply in a state of grace. So authoritative and yet with so much delicacy and at all times alert and finger-crisped, a very high-voltage performance. The late Decker and the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra provide a very emphatic support. No wonder this version has received the Grand Prix du Disque!
Jesus Christ ! That was an amaizing experience
This is my 2nd choice for this piece. Data I gathered:
R:1965/6/4,5 Bürgerbräu, München.
EMI Canada: CMZ 7 62883 2, TOCE 8935;16310, 5 86865;86867, 2564 63535 4,
LP: HQS 1068, CS 2102, S 4416, AA 8175, EAA 85046, EAC 80071, 7 62656 1,
MX: SAXW 9628/9, YPTX 1194/5.
私が苦手なブラームス
この演奏だと聴ける
傑作
ブラームスは若い頃は情熱的
I definitely agree on Rachmaninov and Tchaikovsky, David, but it would be very hard for me to leave Beethoven's 5th out. Thank you for your wonderful channel.
Gelber a été le plus grand interprète de ce concerto
A beautiful piano concerto magnificently played. Gelber is a GREAT pianist. But please stop grading composers, works and players... who has heard EVERY version (recorded or not) of something to come as an illuminato to say "best ever"... please
7:50～
エレクトラの
♪オレスト♪
17:49～も
白鳥の湖のロトバルトが出てきそう
眠りの森の美女のカラボスが出てきそうな迫力
Watch Gelber playing Beethoven sonatas here: th-cam.com/video/ccsU1UQWx30/w-d-xo.html
The trills are made by Bosch
Wow...I"ve heard many versions of this as well, and this is unquestionably head and shoulders above the rest. Technically flawless. Unbelievably bright and crisp. what a phenomenally gifted pianist. That said, there are a few parts of Glenn Gould's wildly variable interpretation I like better (the infamous Bernstein/Gould collaboration), but I think Gelber would have played it better. That's tough to admit, since I consider Gould to be one of the finest ever, and a genius.
+Walkingshadow1 Thanks for your comment, much appreciated.
+davidhertzberg He was a victim of polio when he was just 7 years old. He was the prodigy pupil of great Italian maestro Vicente Scaramuzza whose amazing teaching output includes also Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim.
I own the Argentina EMI edition of this disc. When I purchased it around 1974 I thought that it was actually the best of all times. But being myself Argentinean I thought I was exaggerating. As time has gone by I see everybody's comments and now I'm more than ever convinced that this recording is the benchmark against which all past and future recordings should be measured (what a lot of nobility in the unequaled 2nd movement, what a lot of sensitivity in a mere 24 year old pianist!!). Compared with Gelber, all other pianists seem to be in a hurry with this concerto (with Gilels a possible exception). Gelber's phrasing is unique, you can perceive the inner piano treasures in every bar.
I remember that Gelber in the 70's was rated third only to Brendel and Pollini in that sacred Olympus of outstanding piano artistry.
The concerto was recorded in June 1965 at the Burgerbrau, Munich. Enjoy this wonderful commentary: www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Apr14/Brahms_PC1_2564635354.htm
第２楽章
私には
シューマンの交響曲第２番の
第１楽章のように聞こえる
ブラームスはベートーベンの後継者ではない
シューマンの後継者
ドイツ音楽史の解説が
私には理解できない
Well he comes to Lille in the 17th this mouth and I live in Lille . Maybe I should consider buying tickets .
Edit : Gelber was playing the third of Rachmaninov . He used a little bit to much pedal , and missed many notes . It was great nonetheless . The Orchestra of Lille was awful , specially the violin and the viola sections . The conductor was a last minute replacement because the initial conductor was sick , and he did not made a good job . So yeah it was , meh .
okay sorry i just wanted to help you. to late already :/