Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor" / Quintet for Piano and Winds

Long acknowledged as one of the great pianists of our time, Elisabeth Leonskaja shares her wealth of experience of Beethoven's Piano Concerto no.5, the 'Emperor', with the players of the Orchestre Français des Jeunes, aged between 16 and 25. She describes it as "the supreme piano concerto… Nothing transcends the connection it creates between the soloist, conductor and orchestra."

The conductor is Danish-born Michael Schønwandt, music director of the Orchestre Français des Jeunes from 2021 to 2024. "It is so important to be able to pass on the great works of our repertoire," he says, "I want the players to be able to take possession of the knowledge, the love, the demands and the depth to be found in each work."

Belgium's Crescendo magazine, reviewing a live performance of the concerto, admired "the perfectly disciplined orchestra and the sureness of Michael Schønwandt's gestures," writing: "The young instrumentalists … showed flexibility in following the marvellous Elisabeth Leonskaja, who … with the absolute 'rightness' of her playing, immersed everyone present in a moment of true grace."

Completing the album is Beethoven's Quintet for Piano and Wind Instruments, which, like the Piano Concerto no.5, is in the key of E flat major. The four wind players are all members of the Orchestre Français des Jeunes.