Christoph Eschenbach piano
London Symphony Orchestra
Hans Werner Henze conductor
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa conductor

Beethoven’s piano concertos are cornerstones of the keyboard repertoire, and yet in their time they formed the subject of much cynical debate: the sounds that we are today adjusted to were difficult for the ears of concert-goers then, and any unexpected turns in the music were deemed whimsical and purposefully audacious. Today we appreciate them as part of a continuous story that Beethoven is trying to communicate: inspiring, grand and poetic are just some of the words that come to mind when describing these works.

This release focuses on the Third and Fifth piano concertos – the former composed in 1800 and dedicated to Prince Louis Ferdinand of Prussia (the score was still in progress when the composed debuted the piece from memory); the latter, branded the ‘Emperor’ by Beethoven’s publisher, one of his boldest and most heroic statements: a work of military atmosphere, famous for its hushed transition from the slow movement to the finale. The Fifth Piano Concerto finally achieved popularity in the second half of the nineteenth century when it was taken up by Liszt and other virtuoso soloists.

One who enjoyed a prolific career as a pianist (he won the second Clara Haskil Competition in 1972) before turning his attention to conducting in 1972, German-born Christoph Eschenbach is the soloist on this release. He is a master of the German/Viennese repertoire, and is remembered for the penetrating insight of his performances; here he is his element, delivering astute readings under Henze and Ozawa respectively.