Ivan Morvec Plays Beethoven

The Concerto is one of the recordings that made Ivan Moravec's reputation as a great pianist. It's just as impressive-sounding today. Moravec and the excellent Martin Turnovsky seem to have given this great music an intense reexamination. They play it with attention to every detail, making it sound as though it were a new piece. Frequently you will hear details pointed out in illuminating ways, but never at the expense of musical continuity. This performance is a revelation. Although Moravec's conception of the Variations is a bit outsize, his playing of the solo works is equally convincing. The mid-60s recordings sound excellent. --Leslie Gerber