FREE UK SHIPPING OVER £30!

Beethoven - Piano Concertos 2 & 5 | Alpha ALPHA555

Beethoven - Piano Concertos 2 & 5

£13.88

In stock - available for despatch within 1 working day

Label: Alpha

Cat No: ALPHA555

Barcode: 3760014195556

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Orchestral

Release Date: 25th October 2019

Gramophone Editor's Choice

Contents

Artists

Martin Helmchen (piano)
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

Conductor

Andrew Manze

Works

Beethoven, Ludwig van

Piano Concerto no.2 in B flat major, op.19
Piano Concerto no.5 in E flat major, op.73 'Emperor'

Artists

Martin Helmchen (piano)
Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin

Conductor

Andrew Manze

About

As the celebration of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth approaches, and following a much-admired version of the Diabelli Variations (Alpha386 - Gramophone Editor’s Choice), Martin Helmchen has decided to record his complete piano concertos in the company of musical partners with whom he has a special affinity, Andrew Manze and the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin. They devote this first volume to the Concertos nos. 2 and 5, giving lovingly polished performances of these two masterpieces of the piano repertory.

Composed even before Concerto ‘no.1’, the ‘Second’ Concerto was premiered in Vienna in 1795, when Beethoven was only twenty-five years old, but underwent several revisions before being published in its final version in 1801. Concerto no.5 is the last that Beethoven composed. Though completed in 1808, it was not premiered until 1811. Beethoven normally gave the first performance of his concertos himself, but this time his increasing deafness meant he was unable to do so.

Reviews

[Helmchen and Manze’s approach] does stand high and proud for its artistry, poetry, stylish musicianship and, perhaps above all, rapport between soloist and conductor. This really does feel like a meeting of minds. ... Nothing is routine here. Helmchen makes no excuse for making the climax of the [Emperor Concerto’s] second movement stand out and takes greater pains than most to make it distinct from the surrounding serenity. The result is both startlingly effective and natural.  Michelle Assay
Gramophone December 2019

Error on this page? Let us know here

Need more information on this product? Click here