Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France

An irresistible energy irradiates the entire sound material of Thierry Pécou's orchestral music, right down to the silences. This almost spiritual celebration of rhythm is extremely rare in contemporary composers. Impelled by their rhythmic drive, the Symphonie du Jaguar and Vague de pierre explore the mysteries of the pre-Columbian mythologies of Maya Mexico and the literary painters of ancient China.The Symphonie du Jaguar refers to the cyclic course of time and the trajectory of the sun (Kin), in its incarnation as the daystar, and in the form of a red jaguar in its journey into the bowels of the earth where it is regenerated. Here there are five cardinal points - east, west, north, south, and centre, symbolised respectively by the four solo instruments (clarinet, trombone, violin and cello) and, in the centre, the female chorus; at the end of the work, the clarinet and trombone emit calls in the five directions. Whereas the Symphonie du Jaguar was inspired by Mayan civilisation, Vague de pierre - 'Stone wave', a literal translation of 'Shi Tao', the name of a Chinese literary painter of the late Manchu dynasty - is underpinned by an external source, the writings of François Cheng and François Jullien on art and philosophy in China. Born in Boulogne-Billancourt in 1965,Thierry Pécou has received many prizes for his compositions, which have been commissioned by leading institutions and performers. He frequently performs his own works at the piano, as director of Zellig, a flexibly sized ensemble devoted to new music of which he is the founder, or as soloist with orchestra in his piano concertos (Tremendum and L'Oiseau innumérable).

The third and final volume in the complete recordings of Beethoven’s Piano Concerti, by François-Frédéric Guy and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Philipe Jordan.

Following the critically-acclaimed first two volumes in this series the flourishing musical partnership between François-Frédéric Guy and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Philipe Jordan continues with Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3. Beethoven’s Piano concerto No. 2 in B flat major Op. 19 took 15 years to write and was the earliest piano concerto that Beethoven himself deemed appropriate for presentation to the public. In comparison, the creative process that to Op. 37 was relatively short. In this stunning work, the scoring of Op.19 is expanded to include clarinets, trumpets and timpani in the orchestra.

François-Frédéric Guy is now firmly established as a pianist of immense interpretative authority and superlative technique, especially admired in music of the Austro-German tradition. His recording of this last work for Näive was recently declared the best available by BBC Radio 3’s Building a Library. Currently Principal Guest Conductor of the Berlin Staatsoper and Musical Director of the Opera National de Paris starting in the 2009-10 season, Philippe Jordan has at 34 already established himself as one of the most gifted and exciting conductors of his generation.

Three composers, three masterworks of our time, performed by three orchestras - and a central figure, the moving spirit behind this fine project devoted to the concertante cello: Jean-Guihen Queyras, voted Artist of the Year 2008 in Diapason.Three sometimes very different, yet at the same time highly complementary ways of conceiving the concerto in the 21st century. Long a soloist with the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Jean-Guihen Queyras was profoundly influenced by working with Pierre Boulez. His discography, distinguished by a musical eclecticism, includes works by Haydn (on period instruments) as well as Dvorák and 20th-century composers.

Second volume in the cycle of Beethoven’s piano concertos performed by François-Frédéric Guy, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France and Philippe Jordan. François-Frédéric Guy is now firmly established as a pianist of immense interpretative authority and superlative technique. With his exceptional command of keyboard sonority he has a special gift for music of the grandest scale, such as the major works of Brahms, Liszt and Beethoven. His recording of Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” sonata for Naïve was recently picked as BBC Radio 3’s “Building a Library” choice. Philippe Jordan is one of the rising stars of the conductor’s world. He has recently been appointed as Music Director of the Opera National de Paris, starting in the 2009-10 season.

The Fourth Piano Concerto was dedicated to Beethoven’s friend, student, and patron, the Archduke Rudolph, and its first public took place on the 22nd of December 1808 in Vienna at the Theater an der Wien, where the composer himself took the stage as soloist. This was part of a marathon concert which saw Beethoven's last appearance as a soloist with orchestra, as well as the premieres of the Choral Fantasy and the Fifth and Sixth symphonies. After its first performance, the piece was neglected until 1836, when it was revived by Felix Mendelssohn. Today, it is widely performed and recorded, considered one of the central works of the piano concerto literature. The Quintet in E flat for Piano and Winds, Op. 16, was written in 1796. It was inspired by Mozart's work, K. 452, which is likewise in E flat and has the same scoring.