Surprisngly Beautiful
I am generally not a fan of Harnoncourt's conducting and so I was pleasantly surpriesd by the outstanding character and quality of the 5 Beethoven Piano Concertos: excellent balance between piano and orchestra, absolute clarity on the part of the pianist Aimard, an almost chamber-like intimacy of orchestral detail and a great sense of refined poetry. These performances are different from most of the ones in my collection, namely Gilels, Gieseking, Solomon, Fischer, Kovacevich, and Richter-Haaser: they are not as heroic or powerful but rather more delicate and poignant without being fragile. Rather like holding a bird in your hand -- firm enough to not let it escape but tender enough not to crush it. Highly recommended.