Chopin: Piano Concerto No 1; Beethoven: Piano Concerto No 4

Claudio Arrau (piano), Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie- Orchester/Otto Klemperer, Christoph von Dohnányi ICA Classics ICAC 5045****

Why would anyone want to hunt down a 1954 radio studio performance of Chopin’s First Piano Concerto? Because it brought together a leading pianist, German-trained Chilean Claudio Arrau, and a great conductor, Otto Klemperer, a protégé of Mahler, whose ventures into Chopin were very rare. The appeal of the collaboration is Arrau and Klemperer’s approach to teenage Chopin is entirely lacking in throwaway moments. The keywords are nobility and thoroughness. The pliability and unpredictability of the rubato ensure nothing sounds stodgy, and the earnestness of the music-making turns out to be uncommonly satisfying. Beethoven’s Fourth, recorded with Christoph von Dohnányi in 1959, is thoughtful and contained until the sprung energy of the finale. See url.ie/ dmbm