Mari Kodama, Kent Nagano - Beethoven: The Piano Concertos; Triple Concerto (2014) 3CD Set

Passionate, dramatic, yet poetic and richly nuanced Mari Kodama brings all these qualities to her interpretation of Beethovens Complete Piano Concertos. This exceptional recording with the Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin shines with extraordinary intensity and contrast, due in no small measure to the artistic bond between Mari Kodama and her husband, the conductor Kent Nagano. Beethovens Piano Concertos are undoubtedly amongst the most influential works in the history of music. Art demands of us that we shall not stand still, the composer once wrote, placing the idea of development at the heart of his music. His five piano concertos saw Beethoven take piano music out of the salon and into the concert hall, playing a crucial role in advancing the genre towards the symphony, whilst simultaneously creating a bridge from the First Viennese School to the Romantic period. Mari Kodama, whose virtuosic mastery of the piano made her a household name all over the world, has completed the Beethoven Piano Concerto Cycle with her husband Kent Nagano, the international star conductor. The manner in which Beethoven composed was wild, heartrending, to all intents and purposes revolutionary true not only of his symphonies, but also the five piano concertos he created, the pianist suggests. The depth of his compositions, the ideas on which his music is based, their timeless quality, never fail to captivate me and my husband Kent Nagano. Beethoven has been a kind of companion to us both in our lives, an important point of reference in our work, yet in different ways. We found ourselves discovering and experiencing Beethoven afresh throughout the intensive process how incredibly modern, provocative he is, unashamedly demanding of us in our own musical development. On these recordings of the five Piano Concertos, we have sought to bring a rather different colour to the somewhat sombre images of Beethoven. A little brighter in tone, more distinctly shaded."" They have succeeded magnificently Mari Kodamas interpretation is passionate and dramatic, yet poetic and finely nuanced. Together with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, conducted by Kent Nagano, this is a performance of the highest quality, supremely intense and extraordinarily rich in contrast, thanks in no small measure to the artistic bond between Mari Kodama and her husband. In addition to the complete cycle of piano concertos, this 3CD box set also includes Beethovens Triple Concerto the first of its kind and one of only a few examples hereof in musical history.

On the evidence of this set, the husband-and-wife team of Mari Kodama and Kent Nagano enjoy a keen musical rapport. This may not be the greatest or most pristine Beethoven piano concerto cycle on the CD market but it’s pretty good. Try the bold way Kodama tackles her initial entry on the first movement of the First Concerto, while the cadenza is strongly projected (I love the cheeky little arpeggio just before the close), even if some minor detail is lost in the fray, ie in the down figurations at around 12’55”. The Largo is feelingly played and the closing Rondo whizzes along nicely, the odd hurried turn notwithstanding.

The first-movement cadenza of the Second Concerto is perhaps rather earthbound and I wasn’t too sure about the way Kodama gate-crashes the close of the Third Concerto’s initial tutti with her first entry. Then again, at 2’23” into the Largo, her handling of the second set delivers poetry to spare, while her almost imperceptible easing into the closing rondo marks a definite climate change without breaking the spell. The same CD features an affable reading of the Triple Concerto, Nagano proving himself the ideal master of ceremonies, his tempos lively but never overstretched, his manner warmly accommodating without abandoning the limelight. The opening tutti is a fair case in point, Johannes Moser’s first entry quietly mellifluous, Kolja Blacher bowing a bright, silvery line. Thereafter we’re talking chamber music writ large, both soloists sounding in happy accord, Nagano an obvious soulmate. The central ‘song without words’ (which is how the Largo has always struck me) holds fast to a sense of intimacy, the closing Rondo alla polacca a perfectly happy summation, if without the smiling demeanour of, say, the Argerich, Capuçon, Maisky recording.

The Fourth Concerto is nicely done though the Andante con moto’s imploring central cadenza sounds a little prosaic. Best of all is the Emperor’s finale, which lilts along seemingly without a care in the world. Here Kodama is at her best. As to where this set stands in the firmament of great Beethoven concerto recordings, I’d say not terribly high. Pollini with Abbado, Fleisher with Szell, Aimard with Harnoncourt – to name just three obvious rival contenders – all have more to tell us about the music.

Review by Rob Cowan, Gramophone