NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra / Leif Ove Andsnes / Alan Gilbert

A lyrical giant: Andsnes plays Brahms

Brahms is not always to be trusted, at least when it comes to announcing his own works. »I want to tell you that I have written a tiny piano concerto with a tiny little scherzo,« he said of his Piano Concerto No. 2. In reality, it is a monumental four-movement creation, a kind of »symphony with piano«. What can always be relied upon with Brahms, however, is the subtlety of his writing: despite its vast scale and formidable piano part, the concerto has a distinctly lyrical character, with the cello taking over the melody in the slow movement for good reason. Just the thing for Leif Ove Andsnes, »one of the most elegant pianists« of our time (Alan Gilbert), who opens his residency with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra with this milestone of the repertoire.