A new, specially priced two-CD set from Sony BMG Masterworks brings together for the first time Grammy Award-winning pianist Emanuel Ax’s recordings of the piano concertos of Johannes Brahms – the RCA Red Seal recording of Piano Concerto No. 1 with James Levine conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Sony Classical recording of Piano Concerto No. 2 with Bernard Haitink conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra. The set also includes performances of Brahms’ Rhapsodies, Intermezzos and Four Pieces for Piano, with liner notes specifically written by Ax for this release.

“I first heard one of the Brahms Concertos when I was fourteen,” he writes. “My father bought me a present: the recording of Artur Rubinstein playing the Second Concerto, with Josef Krips conducting the Symphony of the Air. I instantly fell in love with it, and remember playing the recording over and over. Ultimately I got my father to purchase another copy, because the first one had worn out (this was back in the prehistoric days of LPs). The D Minor Concerto, which I learned much earlier than the B-flat Concerto – I believe around the age of 21 – I actually heard much later, but was again instantly enamored of it. Both concertos continue to be a large part of my musical life: I play them often, and each time I discover more depth and beauty in them. They are still terrifyingly difficult for me, but the effort is so rewarding that I am always excited at the prospect of another chance to perform them. I am sure that as long as I am able to play the piano, they will remain among my favorite challenges.”

As Edith Eisler wrote of the previously released recording of the 2nd Concerto on www.amazon.com, “This is as fine a performance of the concerto as you are likely to hear. From the wistful opening horn solo to the sunny, cheerful finale, Ax and Haitink bring out its grandeur, power, and majesty, but also its tender, pensive lyricism and feathery playfulness. Every note is important; there is time to caress details and nuances without losing sweep and flow; rhythms are flexible, liberties poised, the orchestral sound is intense yet clear.”

One of the most acclaimed Brahms interpreters of his generation, Emanuel Ax is a 7-time Grammy® Award winner, receiving the esteemed industry award for, among other recordings, his Sony CD of Brahms Sonatas for Cello and Piano with Yo-Yo Ma. This affinity for Brahms will go a step further, when Ax tours across America this winter and fall, performing Brahms Concertos with the Pittsburgh Symphony (February 9, 10, and 11), New York Philharmonic (February 14, 15, 17) and Cleveland Orchestra (April 12, 14, 15). Additional (non-Brahms) recital and orchestral appearances, from February 22 – May 1, include Atlanta, Miami, West Palm Beach, Gainesville, Orlando, Grand Rapids, Tuscaloosa, Ft. Worth, Denver, Scottsdale, Beverly Hills (MI), Chicago, Philadelphia, St. Paul, San Francisco, Nashville, Englewood, New York City’s Zankel Hall, Washington, D.C, and Boston.

The Polish-born, Canadian-liftd pianist captured public attention in 1974 when, at age 25, he won the first Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Competition in Tel Aviv. In 1975 he won the Michaels Award of Young Concert Artists and, four years later, took the coveted Avery Fisher Prize. An exclusive Sony Classical recording artist since 1987, Ax is renowned not only for his poetic temperament and unsurpassed virtuosity, but also for the exceptional breadth of his performing activity. Each season his distinguished career includes appearances with major symphony orchestras worldwide, recitals in the most celebrated concert halls, a variety of chamber music collaborations, the commissioning and performance of new music, and additions to his acclaimed discography on Sony Classical.
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