Beethoven - The 5 Piano Concertos | BIS BIS2581

Beethoven - The 5 Piano Concertos

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Label: BIS

Cat No: BIS2581

Format: Hybrid SACD

Number of Discs: 3

Genre: Orchestral

Release Date: 4th November 2022

Contents

Artists

Haochen Zhang (piano)
The Philadelphia Orchestra

Conductor

Nathalie Stutzmann

Works

Beethoven, Ludwig van

Piano Concertos nos 1-5 (complete)

Artists

Haochen Zhang (piano)
The Philadelphia Orchestra

Conductor

Nathalie Stutzmann

About

As one of the finest pianists of his era and an improviser of genius, Ludwig van Beethoven’s preferred vehicle for musical exploration was the piano. With his five piano concertos composed between 1788 and 1809, he not only achieved a brilliant conclusion to the Classical piano concerto, but also established a new model for the Romantic era: a sort of symphony with obbligato piano which was to remain a reference point well into the twentieth century.

After the first two concertos, which still closely follow the models of Haydn and Mozart, Concerto no.3 marks a profound stylistic change. In the piano part, Beethoven pushes the instrument to its limits, leading commentators to remark that he was writing for the piano of the future. This trend continued and reached its fullness in the Fourth and Fifth Concertos, which today rank among the great composer’s most admired works.

In 2009, Haochen Zhang was the youngest pianist ever to receive the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Since then he has captivated audiences worldwide with a unique combination of deep musical sensitivity, fearless imagination and spectacular virtuosity. He now performs the five Beethoven concertos supported by the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra under its principal guest conductor, the charismatic Nathalie Stutzmann.

Reviews

Zhang’s muse is ostensibly a lyric one, although a slightly mischievous sense of playfulness is never far away. The opening cadenzas of the Emperor (No 5) have seldom been attacked with such relish, even glee. The poised balances Stutzmann elicits from her players make one wonder where the wind parts have been hiding all these years. ... With the Bezuidenhout/Heras-Casado/Freiburg Baroque cycle (Harmonia Mundi) wrapped up earlier this year, one might well ask what we’ve done to deserve yet another brilliant collaboration in the Beethoven concertos. Yet Zhang/Stutzmann/Philadelphia is precisely that, and I urge you to not miss it.  Patrick Rucker
Gramophone January 2023
Gramophone Editor's Choice

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