Brahms Piano Concerto 1 & 2 - Emil Gilels - Jochum - Tower Records - Vintage SACD Collection Vol 2 - PROC-1988-9 (2016)
2x SACD rip via PS3 to 2x iso (6.03GB) | Originally Deutsche Grammophon | Only 2ch Hybrid | DR14 | Classical piano

24bit/192kHz Remastering from the original analogue master

Amazon reviews:
1) Taste, temperament, technique – these 3 Ts went well together with Emil Gilels. The prominent Russian pianist was at his most mature when recording in 1972 these demanding, profound piano concertos of the great German composer, Johannes Brahms. First concerto in D Minor, more conventional in its structure, sounds majestic in the opening movement & beatifully emotional in the lyric 2nd, Gilels taking his time to give the melodies their due space, aptly supported by Berliner Philharmoniker under the baton of Eugen Jochum.

This was important, as the soloist recorded his 1st ever Brahms 1st Concerto performance under some stress, as his visa to the West was about to expire, but you cannot tell from the recording. (Interestingly, the main conductor of the Berliner, Herbert von Karajan, never recorded the Brahms 1st with this orchestra.) Jochum, in an interview prior to his death, denoted these sessions as the fondest in his memory.

As for 2nd Concerto, Gilels had already recorded it for another company & the recording process, according to sound engineer Klaus Scheibe, was rather smooth. All 4 movements constitute the epitome of either passionate (Allegro appassionato) or gracious (Allegro grazioso) performance, when nothing is left missing – maybe it is the sheer length of concerto that may be discouraging...

Both concertos won Edison Award in 1974.

The Fantasies Op. 116, are 7 piano solo pieces which are technically rather challenging – but not for Gilels. Originally recorded in Finland in 1975 & coupled with 4 Ballades Op. 10 on LP, the recording was given the award in Spain in 1976. Tonal shadings in the Fantasies are difficult to match, the chamber nature of the pieces is an interesting complement to major orchestral cooperation.

2) There are 3 great works here- the Op 116 Fantasies & Piano Concertos Op 15 & Op 83. When Gilels played the Fantasies in 1975 in Turku in Finland, he was roughly the same age as that at which Brahms had composed them. He had a lifetime of experience of playing piano at the highest level. He intently produces the musings that Brahms had made using these delicate materials. The piano is not used to dominate, instead the tenderness, delicacy & intimacy of these reflections is brought to the fore. The rhythms & cross rhythms are beautifully reproduced & the structure is notably clear. I just love these 3 capriccios & 4 intermezzos.
Then, there are these truly great performances of the 1st & 2nd piano concertos. There is pure power & deep seriousness in the 1st concerto with immense punch in the trills. The instrumental solos in the 2nd concerto are well-defined & help to create the warmth of Brahms music. When Eugen Jochum was asked about his finest recordings he specially mentioned these Brahms Concertos with Gilels as piano soloist. 

Available here:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Emil-Gilels-Eugen-Jochum-Brahms-Piano-Concertos-2-SACD-TOWER-RECORDS-JAPAN/274001106763

HRAudio.net:
Comment by Steven Harrison - August 23, 2017
Remastered by Emil Berliner Studios in August 2016 from 192/24 files from the archived original masters.
I waited a long time for this set to come out on SACD. I had pretty much given up hoping & then there it was reissued by Tower Japan.
Given the lack of new high rez recordings of the Brahms Piano Concertos, nice to have this set along with all the other reissues.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fu4-Enucukk

      Tracks: 

Johannes Brahms
Disc 1
1. Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 15
2. 4 Ballades, Op. 10
Disc 2
3. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83
4. Fantasies, Op. 116

Emil Gilels: piano
Berliner Philharmoniker
Conducted by Eugen Jochum

Recorded: Berlin, June 16 & 17, 1972 (1, 3), Turku, September 8-10, 1975 (2, 4)

http://www.filefactory.com/folder/eeac792014c7f4ed

Checksums for 2x iso:
731d74395ce6bedc2cd6cb11b30c30b6 *Emil Gilels - Brahms Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, 4 Ballades, Fantasias 1.iso
a9ae32a52ddc03a023e4f665e22f2bfd *Emil Gilels - Brahms Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2, 4 Ballades, Fantasias 2.iso