Piano Concerto Nos. 1 and 2

After their recording of Shostakovich’s Piano Concerto, pianist Simone Trpsiski and conductor Christian Macellaro met again, this time alongside the WDR Symphony Orchestra and with the concerto by Johannes Brahms. After recordings by Lars Vogt and Andras Schiff that were deliberately designed as chamber music, the focus here is once again on the symphonic moment. Măcelaru deftly stuns the orchestra and convincingly integrates even minor sounds. Overall, this Brahms often sounds surprisingly smooth and less powerful, especially in the first concert. Trpčeski plays a major role in shaping this approach. It delivers, if you will, a French Brahms: often airy and elegant, fragrant and tempered in dissonance. The sound, which sounds very potty and opaque, sounds a bit strange even after listening to it several times.

Brahms: Piano Concertos No. 1 in D minor, op. 15 and No. 2 in B major, op. 83

Simone Trčpčeski (piano), WDR Symphony Orchestra, Christian Misellaro (conductor)
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Christian Macellaro

Conductor Christian Macellaro was born into a musical family in 1980 in Timisoara, Romania, the youngest of ten children. All the siblings played a musical instrument, and he himself began learning to play the violin at an early age. In addition, there were lessons in… More

Simon Trpečeski

He’s a popular star in his native North Macedonia, but in the rest of Europe the name Simon Trpečeski is still better known among classical music purists. Born in Skopje in 1979, the pianist has become one of the world’s leading pianists…More

WDR Symphony Orchestra

The Cologne-based WDR Symphony Orchestra is one of Germany’s leading orchestras – especially when it comes to performing pieces from the 20th and 21st centuries. Because a healthy body is still one…More