Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Alexander Lonquich
Orchestra: Munich Chamber Orchestra
Conductor: Alexander Lonquich
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: ECM
Catalogue: 4876904
Release: 2024
Size: 2.85 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 19
01. I. Allegro con brio
02. II. Adagio
03. III. Rondo. Molto allegro
Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15
04. I. Allegro con brio
05. II. Largo
06. III. Rondo. Allegro scherzando
Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37
07. I. Allegro con brio
08. II. Largo
09. III. Rondo. Allegro
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58
10. I. Allegro moderato
11. II. Andante con moto
12. III. Rondo. Vivace
Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 “Emperor”
13. I. Allegro
14. II. Adagio un poco mosso
15. III. Rondo. Allegro
After a first appearance on ECM’s New Series with premiere recordings of Israeli composer Gideon Lewensohn’s works on Odradek (2002), two subsequent solo recitals plus a duo programme with violinist Caroline Widmann (2012), here pianist Alexander Lonquich, alongside the Münchener Kammerorchester, rises to a more extensive challenge, in performing the entirety of Beethoven’s piano concertos, programmed in chronological order.
The pivotal works document the composer’s development over two decades, rendered in striking interpretations here. In his own detailed liner note, the German pianist calls these recordings a “very special experience, for performers and listeners alike. The usually common placement of the individual works in the context of a symphony concert all too often runs the risk of confirming and reinforcing what is already traditional, while this chronological order draws attention to stylistic leaps in the compositions and allows the listener to experience Beethoven’s development as the author of these outward-looking creations that illustrate his pianistic virtuosity between 1790 and 1809.” The concertos were captured at the Rathausprunksaal, Landshut in January 2022.