German Record Critic's Award - Quarterly Choice 1/2020.
Featuring
Ronald Brautigam
Michael Alexander Willens
Kölner Akademie
Ludwig van Beethoven
Did you know?
1/7
Recording & Production
Die Kölner Akademie, the ensemble on this recording, performs music from the 17th to 21st centuries on period instruments, using historical seating plans and critical editions.
Compositional Technique
Beethoven's five piano concertos not only brilliantly concluded the Classical piano concerto genre but also established the Romantic concerto model, a 'symphony with obbligato piano'.
Instruments
For the first three concertos, Ronald Brautigam uses a Paul McNulty fortepiano from 2012, copied after a Walter & Sohn instrument from around 1805, a type praised by Mozart.
Interpretation
Ronald Brautigam, the fortepiano soloist, chose two different Paul McNulty fortepianos for this recording to reflect the evolution of Beethoven's piano writing.
Instruments
For the last two concertos, Ronald Brautigam uses a Paul McNulty fortepiano from 2007, copied after a Conrad Graf instrument from around 1819, a type esteemed by Chopin, Liszt, and the Schumanns.
Performer Biography
Ronald Brautigam is a leading exponent of the fortepiano, having recorded the complete solo keyboard works of Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn on the instrument.
Composer Biography
Beethoven, one of the finest pianists and an improviser of genius, considered the piano his preferred territory for musical exploration.
