Dip Your Ears: No. 277 (The Freire & Chailly Bumble-Bee-Beethoven)

Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Cto. No.5, Piano Sonata op.111 Nelson Freire Gewandhausorchester Leipzig Riccardo Chailly (Decca, 2014)

Bumble-Bee-Beethoven

Nelson Freire is a pianist’s pianist, and a musician’s musician: Nothing is fancy, everything is tasteful, and there’s an innate sense of rightness. His Beethoven recording of the “Emperor” Concerto and the last Piano Sonata, “opus one-eleven”, is a case in melodious point. In the concerto he benefits from a Riccardo Chailly on fire: The low strings hum like bumble-bee war-drones on a fuzzy mission of humanity. The timpani are bone-dry and caught in uncanny detail. It’s a joy how Decca records this extraordinarily well-sounding orchestra. The deal is sweetened by the surprisingly soft-spoken, delicate Sonata opus 111.

Follow @ClassicalCritic