www.seenandheardinternational.com reviews Leif Ove’s Royal Festival Hall performance of the Emperor Concerto with the London Philharmonic and Vladimir Jurowski
“Restraint, clarity, poise: these were the touchstones of a performance that was more Classical than ‘Romantic’, yet clearly articulated the progressive nature of the work’s language and form – the expansive breadth of the opening movement, the soloist’s relative retreat from the exposition after the first few bars; and the seamless transition from the Adagio to the Rondo. Indeed, the ‘nickname’ was not Beethoven’s and, as this performance convincingly suggested, is counter to the sensibility of the composer.
“If refined and restrained, Andsnes’ performance was undoubtedly poetically resonant. And, despite the complexities of the score and the technical challenges for the soloist, the music had a spacious, airy quality … It was a delight to hear something so well-known revealed afresh.”
Source: seenandheardinterational.com