John Lill, Halle Orchestra, James Loughran - Brahms - Piano Concertos 1 & 2 (2006)

Despite a career spanning more than 50 years and a gold medal at the Tchaikovsky Piano Competition (among others), pianist John Lill may be an artist sadly missing from many CD collections. Heralded as an intellectual musician, his approach to the instrument is decidedly academic and straightforward. This is not to say that his music-making is not impassioned or thoughtful anymore than the same could be said of Starker or Gingold simply because they are master technicians at their instruments. What the scholarly approach to his instrument does bring is a masterful technique, brilliant and crystal-clear voicing, and a complete lack of pretentiousness or over-romanticizing.

Lill's performance of both of the Brahms concertos is quite stunning, and his knowledge of Brahms' compositions overall and the concertos' place among his oeuvre is immediately discernible. The Second Concerto, in particular, is powerful without being harsh, sensitive without being sappy, and energetic without being rushed. This titan of a piece is made to seem easy and second-nature. Surprisingly, the Hallé Orchestra does not match Lill's level of energy or clarity. In the First Concerto especially, which was originally conceived of as a symphony, delivers a rather lackluster orchestral backbone. Entrances are not always together and ends of phrases are often sloppy. Listening past the orchestra, though, will still leave listeners with Lill's satisfying product worthy of listening.