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BIS

Beethoven: The Piano Concertos / Brautigam, Willens, Cologne Academy

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Details

Composer
BEETHOVEN, LUDWIG VAN
Artist
Brautigam, Die Kolner Akademie, Willens
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
Nov 01, 2019
Catalog #
BIS-2274
UPC
7318599922744

About

As one of the finest pianists of his era and an improviser of genius, Ludwig van Beethoven’s preferred vehicle for musical exploration was the piano. His earliest composition, from 1782, was a set of piano variations and he continued to compose for solo piano until the last years of his life. His interest in the concerto form diminished as his deafness forced him to retire from performing. Nonetheless, with his five piano concertos composed between 1788 and 1809, Beethoven not only achieved a brilliant conclusion to the Classical piano concerto, but also established a new model for the Romantic era: a sort of symphony with obbligato piano which remained a reference point well into the beginning of the twentieth. Ronald Brautigam has already recorded these seminal works with the Norrkoping Symphony Orchestra, in acclaimed performances released between 2008 and 2010. Since then he has also released all of Beethoven’s solo piano music on the fortepiano to universal praise. When Brautigam now returns to the concertos, it is in the company of conductor Michael Alexander Willens and Die Kolner Akademie playing on period instruments. The same team has previously partnered him in an 11-album survey of Mozart’s piano concertos and it is plain to hear that all involved clearly relish the opportunity to congratulate Beethoven on the eve of his 250th anniversary.

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REVIEW:

Textures are bracingly lean, with a lightness and transparency that seems airborne. There’s nothing pompous or heavyhanded in these readings. Both Brautigam and Willens are alive to Beethoven’s every indication on the page, and that most precious of all commodities in music, the life of the phrase, is sacrosanct. Original, stylish and authoritative, this concerto set is a worthy and thought-provoking contribution to the recordings marking the Beethoven year.

– Gramophone

Tracklist 15 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 I. Allegro con brio 13:38
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro con brio
    Duration
    13:38
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  3. 2 II. Largo 08:27
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Largo
    Duration
    08:27
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  4. 3 III. Rondo: Allegro 08:25
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Rondo: Allegro
    Duration
    08:25
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  5. 4 I. Allegro con brio 13:20
    Track
    4
    Title
    I. Allegro con brio
    Duration
    13:20
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  6. 5 II. Adagio 06:35
    Track
    5
    Title
    II. Adagio
    Duration
    06:35
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  7. 6 III. Rondo: Molto allegro 05:43
    Track
    6
    Title
    III. Rondo: Molto allegro
    Duration
    05:43
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  8. 7 I. Allegro moderato 17:02
    Track
    7
    Title
    I. Allegro moderato
    Duration
    17:02
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  9. 8 II. Andante con moto 03:37
    Track
    8
    Title
    II. Andante con moto
    Duration
    03:37
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  10. 9 III. Rondo: Vivace 09:44
    Track
    9
    Title
    III. Rondo: Vivace
    Duration
    09:44
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  11. Disc 2
  12. 1 I. Allegro con brio 15:17
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro con brio
    Duration
    15:17
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  13. 2 II. Largo 08:36
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Largo
    Duration
    08:36
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  14. 3 III. Rondo: Allegro 08:54
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Rondo: Allegro
    Duration
    08:54
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  15. 4 I. Allegro 18:55
    Track
    4
    Title
    I. Allegro
    Duration
    18:55
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  16. 5 II. Adagio un poco moto - 06:12
    Track
    5
    Title
    II. Adagio un poco moto -
    Duration
    06:12
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens
  17. 6 III. Rondo: Allegro 10:19
    Track
    6
    Title
    III. Rondo: Allegro
    Duration
    10:19
    Composer
    Ludwig van Beethoven
    Performer
    Ronald Brautigam
    Ensemble
    Orchester der Kölner Akademie
    Conductor
    Michael Alexander Willens