Beethoven: Complete Piano Concertos

Jan Lisiecki (piano/director) & Academy of St Martin in the Fields

While Jan Lisiecki does not believe that Beethoven conceived the piano concertos as a cycle of their own, he says: “in spite of this, they belong  together  because they  reveal  such a  differentiated  picture of Beethoven, starting  with the first  two,  which still honour Mozart’s legacy. Then follow nos. 3 and 4, both so inherently different in character, and the majestic ‘Emperor’ Concerto forms the finale.” It is this wide-ranging variety that Lisiecki finds fascinating, as it “reveals all the significant and oftentimes contradictory aspects of Beethoven’s music”. Jan Lisiecki did not shy away from the challenge of recording all five in a short period - 3 concerts in five days - at the Berlin Konzerthaus, where he joined the  Academy of  St  Martin in  the  Fields, leading all five concertos from the piano. The musicians of the Academy with their intimate knowledge of the scores proved to be ideal musical partners for Lisiecki.

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.

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 album includes the concerto the young Canadian pianist made his Carnegie Hall debut with – together with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Recorded with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Lisiecki himself directed from the piano. “If one thinks of the Beethoven concerti as novels", says Lisiecki, "each offers a deep spiritual journey. Performed together, this definitive anthology gives new light to the power of Beethoven’s genius.”

Beethoven - Piano Concertos Nos. 1-5:
 No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
 No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19
 No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
 No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
 No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor'

"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 Magazine - November 2019

"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’…Lisiecki wins well-earned applause as he brings his ship into harbour, But he does need a more sensitive sound-engineer."
BBC Music Magazine - December 2019 (****Performance) / (**Recording)

"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 - January 2020