“Ohlsson brought out the intimate characteristics of the piano writing, playing the many runs with distinct clarity in his still-agile fingers. In the development, where the keyboard mostly accompanies important lines in the orchestra, Ohlsson tended to move ahead, rather than yielding to what was happening around him.

For the cadenza near the end of the first movement, Ohlsson played the last of the three options Beethoven notated. Ohlsson, the first American pianist to win the Chopin Competition, in 1970, gave this lengthy solo all its virtuosic edge, rolling through the many diminished seventh chords with dramatic flair and ending with florid trills.

Ohlsson’s lyrical touch in the slow movement proved a highlight, especially in the tender duets with principal clarinetist Lin Ma. A bright, good-humored tempo enlivened the Finale, crisply coordinated by Langrée between orchestra and soloist. Each return of the main rondo theme, both in piano and ensemble, had a different character, all memorably placed and polished.”

Washington Classical Review