Beethoven: Complete Piano Concertos
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LUDWIG van BEETHOVEN
Beethoven: Complete Piano Concertos
Jan Lisiecki (piano/director) / Academy of St Martin in the Fields
[ Deutsche Grammophon / CD ]
Release Date: Friday 12 June 2020
International Classical Music Awards
2019 Nominee - Concerto
Jan Lisiecki was hailed by the critics for his live performances of Beethoven's five piano concerts at the Konzerthaus Berlin:
"A sparkling performance that seems refreshingly spontaneous - yet is intellectually perfectly formed" - Der Tagesspiel
After his successful album "Mendelssohn", the Canadian pianist now dedicates his next album to the five piano concertos by Ludwig van Beethoven - once again in the double role as soloist and conductor, accompanied by the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Jan Lisiecki believes that "Beethoven certainly did not conceive the 5 concertos as a cycle. In spite of this, they belong together because they reveal such a differentiated picture of Beethoven, starting with the first two concertos", which still disclose the legacy of Mozart, the very different works No. 3 and 4 up to the majestic E flat major concerto No. 5.
Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 has played a significant role in Jan Lisiecki's career. In 2013, he performed the work with Orchestra Mozart under Claudio Abbado in Bologna, replacing an indisposed Martha Argerich at very short notice
"The Second is illuminated by the bright freshness of his playing, and the orchestral playing in the Third is nicely sculpted, with the Largo an oasis of serenity, thanks to his fastidiously clean keyboard style. Bringing a white-hot intensity to the Allegro of the 'Emperor'" (BBC Music)
"A particularly successful movement is the finale of the Fourth Concerto. Lisiecki finds unexpected strength in the solo part, and the musicians of the ASMF respond with a reading that feels completely engaged. Rote playing has been banished from every performance in the set. I'd rate the Fourth and "Emperor" Concertos as high points" (Fanfare)
"Given that these performances were captured, according to the publicity, during rehearsals and performances, their presentation on discs is remarkably sleek and finished...Overall, it is the rondos which are most appealing in their infectiously playful abandon...There remains a great deal to enjoy in these performances, their freshness certainly, but perhaps, most of all, their promise of greater things to come" Gramophone
"The leanness of the orchestra in the Third Concerto is matched by Lisiecki's transparency. The recording favours the piano in that the ASMF's strings seem lacking in depth, even harsh up top. More successful is the central Largo, the piano's initial statement sonorous, beautiful and profound - though even here there is a loss of tension" International Piano
Tracks:
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor'
