Beethoven revolutionized piano playing through his innovative compositions, using extreme dynamic contrasts, wide keyboard registers, and new timbres.
Performer Biography
The Wiener Singverein, a concert choir founded in 1858, is known for its high professional level and has collaborated with leading conductors and orchestras, including a four-decade partnership with Herbert von Karajan.
Composition History
Beethoven's Fantasia Op. 77 is his only surviving improvisation, which he performed at his legendary Academy Concert on December 22, 1808, and later wrote down.
Performer Biography
Pianist See Siang Wong, described as a 'subtle painter of sound', has performed in over 30 countries and collaborated with renowned conductors and orchestras worldwide.
Album & Artwork
This album, titled 'Fantasia', is the first part of a trilogy by pianist See Siang Wong focusing on Beethoven's lesser-known piano works and rarities.
Compositional Technique
Beethoven's 'fantasy sonatas', like the two Op. 27 works on this album, freely shape the form, renouncing conventional sonata construction with interlaced movements that follow without interruption.
Notable Performances
The premiere of Beethoven's Choral Fantasy Op. 80, with Beethoven as soloist, was a disaster due to second-rate musicians, lack of rehearsal, and an orchestra-soloist misunderstanding that forced a restart.
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