Josef Hofmann - Beethoven Concerto No. 4 in G major Op. 58

1. Allegro moderato
2. Andante con moto (15:57)
3. Rondo. Vivace (20:23)
broadcast recording, 1938
cond. Eugene Ormandy

[@valvelive5428]

Josef Hofmann's interpretation is excellent, really capturing the core of these concerto. No one else can interpret it as well as he does. It's a performance that is so heart-warming to listen to again and again. The recording was probably put on a 16-inch transcription disc, and the reissue must have been a painstaking effort to remove the noise. It is a great honour that this kind of performance will be preserved forever. I believe that the day will not be far off when more noise algorithms are analysed and we will be able to reproduce the real feeling of the original recording. Thanks for uploading.

[@RaineriHakkarainen]

Not True! Wilhelm Kempff and Emil Gilels more colorful beautiful piano sound for Beethoven no 4 than Hofmann! Ashkenazy had the most volcano colorful piano sound for Beethoven no 4!!

[@sambafamba]

3:50 EVEN TRILLS! THATS MADNESS!!

[@ericpolin5442]

Elegant Hofmann! A top interpretation. Others interpretations I love of that wonderful concerto are Edwin Fischer (of course) and, less known but just as good as this I believe, Robert Casadesus.

[@RaineriHakkarainen]

Wilhelm Kempff and Emil Gilels more colorful beautiful piano sound for Beethoven no 4 than Hofmann Casadesus! Ashkenazy had the most volcano colorful piano sound for Beethoven no 4!!

[@Tis_Not_Ivo]

This is amazing! How have I never come across this recording before?! Thank you so much!

[@Twentythousandlps]

Pianistically unsurpassed, whatever we make of the style. There is so much that reminds of Cherkassky, his pupil. The cadenzas are, I suppose, by Hofmann himself.

[@dorfmanjones]

I think he used the Reinecke cadenzas.

[@pianopera]

Wonderful! The name of the orchestra is missing, it's the Philadelphia Orchestra.

[@andrewharrison8975]

...under the direction of Eugene Ormandy.

[@MOVINGCLASSICS]

incredible playing! i find it very inspiring

[@robertcenteno5275]

This is definitely Hofmann. He has another recording of this same concerto that I know well. This one I have never heard!! Where did you find this? New release?

[@dorfmanjones]

There are actually three Hofmann LVB G major concertos: w/Ormandy, w/Barbirolli, and w/Mitropoulos. The first two are very strong. The Mitropoulos is a bit threadbare as Hofmann's legendary technique started to fray toward the end of his career.

[@reconditearmonie]

Il pianoforte il re degli strumenti, si nasconde a tratti tra gli altri strumenti per poi emergere superbo come fanno i raggi di sole tra le foglie degli alberi.

[@lunchmind]

Am I reading this right? Was Rudolf Serkin the soloist in the Third movt?

[@dorfmanjones]

No. He wasn't. He did actually hear Hofmann in this concerto in the mid 1930's and never forgot the performance.

[@ryanmoffett2242]

Who's cadenza does Hofmann play here?

[@dorfmanjones]

If I remember correctly Josef used the Reinecke cadenzas.

[@ryanmoffett2242]

@@dorfmanjones thanks

[@lunchmind]

A stupid audience mars this classic performance with its disruptive applause between movements.

[@Classical741]

That was the style, even in Beethoven's own time. It's a tradition that has returned in recent years, which I don't particularly enjoy as an auditor. However, it is when the performance is so utterly fantastic, awesome and exciting, that it is utterly appropriate, as it is here. Many wrong notes were more or less the usual in "old" performances from this era, up until the younger generations. Instrumental performance on all instruments, especially in concerted works, has never been better. Still, Hoffman's performance mostly carries it off.

[@andrewharrison8975]

@@Classical741I don’t hear any wrong notes!