Beethoven – The Piano Concertos

•    3CD Digipack
•    Extensive 28pp booklet with liner notes in English and German

Lang Lang’s Beethoven Piano Concertos: A Landmark Recording for the Anniversary Year 

Fulfilling a long-held dream, Lang Lang has recorded his first complete cycle of the Beethoven piano concertos. After recording Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 4 in 2007, he has since performed all five many times. He now returns to these masterworks in his first studio recording of the complete cycle, reflecting decades of performance, encounters with other great musicians and a deepened understanding of Beethoven’s musical language. “With time, I’ve learned to hear beneath the surface – to understand how every detail contributes to Beethoven’s larger musical architecture.” 

Together with renowned conductor Andris Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Lang Lang brings this perspective into dialogue with the orchestra’s deep-rooted Beethoven tradition. The concertos are complemented by the composer’s Piano Sonata No. 31, Op. 110, which has special personal significance for Lang Lang: he performed it at his audition for the Curtis Institute of Music, making this recording a return not only to Beethoven but also to his own musical beginnings. The album also features new transcriptions of individual movements from Symphonies Nos. 7 and 9: the Allegretto from No. 7 and a personal favorite, the “Ode to Joy” from No. 9.

Tracklisting:

CD 1
1.    Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110: I. Moderato cantabile, molto espressivo 
2.    Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110: II. Allegro molto 
3.    Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110: III. Adagio ma non troppo / Fuga. Allegro ma non troppo 
4.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15: I. Allegro con brio 
5.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15: II. Largo 
6.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C Major, Op. 15: III. Rondo. Allegro scherzando 
7.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 19: I. Allegro con brio 
8.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 19: II. Adagio 
9.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 19: III. Rondo. Molto allegro
CD 2
1.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37: I. Allegro con brio 
2.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37: II. Largo 
3.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 37: III. Rondo. Allegro 
4.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58: I. Allegro moderato 
5.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58: II. Andante con moto 
6.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Op. 58: III. Rondo. Vivace
CD 3
1.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 “Emperor”: I. Allegro 
2.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 “Emperor”: II. Adagio un poco moto 
3.    Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-Flat Major, Op. 73 “Emperor”: III. Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo 
4.    Beethoven: Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92: II. Allegretto (Arr. Korepanova for Piano) 
5.    Beethoven: Ode to Joy (Arr. Peter Schindler for Piano from Symphony No. 9)