Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 in E flat major, Op. 73 'Emperor'

Recorded in 2007, and featuring one of the most important and active Italian pianists of his generation, Mario Galeani. This recording reflects a bright and fresh version of these concerti, particularly the attention given to the dialogue between pianist and orchestra.

“Biret grasps the size of Beethoven’s style….The piano tone is sumptuous. Biret’s gentle and almost sensuous sonorities are really captivating.” Gramophone

Robert Riefling’s career lasted for more than 60 years, and his reputation as one of Scandinavia’s most brilliant pianists has never been in doubt. He made more than 60 recordings, amongst which are all of Beethoven’s sonatas, a series which was honoured with a Grand Prix du Disque.

This 2CD set, released as Volume 4 in the series of Historic recordings from Simax entitled “Great Norwegian Performers 1945 – 2000”, contains five pieces by Beethoven from three different concert recordings made between 1979 and 1986, and marks the highlight of Riefling’s brilliant concert performances. Although the pianist was already approaching his 70s, he was still playing with the same openness and adventurous spirit of his youth.

The first disc features performances of Beethoven’s last three Piano Sonatas, Opus 109 – 111 from 1979 at the Håkonshallen in Bergen, whilst the second disc is a recording of performances made at the Oslo Konserthus of Piano Concerto No. 4 in 1986 and No. 5 “Emperor” in 1981. The orchestra is the Oslo Philharmonic and the conductors are Karsten Andersen in the fourth and Gabriel Chmura in the fifth.

“Whenever Mackerras appears with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra he produces magical alchemy” The Scotsman

“I think that [Pizarro] would have won Beethoven's hearty applause and approval.” Gramophone

Ludwig van Beethoven’s piano concertos are some of the most popular works in the classical repertoire. Renowned conductor Sir Charles Mackerras leads pianist Artur Pizarro and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in a truly memorable performance of these great works.

Ludwig van Beethoven’s final three piano concertos are extremely vital in the transition from the classical to the romantic period.

These works demonstrate Beethoven’s move away from the classical style by challenging previous concerto models; delicate and ornamental features are replaced with powerful, rousing, and even heroic, melodies and developments

The magical partnership of Mackerras and the SCO resulted in the addition of Concerto No. 5, which was not originally in the recording plan. Concertos 3 and 4 were recorded very quickly - often in one take!

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Sir Charles Mackerras have enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship. Their recording ‘Mozart Symphonies 38 – 41’ was named the classical recording of 2008 by the Sunday Times and HMV Choice. It also won a 2009 Midem Award for Symphonic Works and a Choc de l’année Award from Le Monde de la Musique.

Robert Casadesus follows his highly successful CD of Mozart Piano Concertos K.491 and K.595 conducted by George Szell coupled with Weber's Konzertstuck (MM010-2), with another compilation containing Mozart's Piano Concerto K.488, Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.5 and Ravel's Piano Concerto in D.

Casadesus recorded all this material before over many years in the studio. Here he is captured live in superb sound as a result of WDR's master tapes, here released for the very first time. Beethoven's 'Emperor' Concerto from 1965 follows his 1961 studio account (now only available in a box dedicated to Hans Rosbaud) and being live is slightly faster and conducted brilliantly by the young Christoph von Dohnányi.

The Ravel Concerto in D for the Left Hand is especially valuable since Casadesus was a close friend of the composer while the collaboration with one of the most important conductors of the 20th Century, Hermann Scherchen, produces electrifying results.

These recordings have never been issued before using WDR's original master tapes.

The Canadian musician Glenn Gould was undoubtedly one of the greatest pianists of all time. To mark the 75th anniversary of his birth, and the 25th anniversary of his death, Sony BMG Masterworks presents this seminal artist’s vinyl recordings as re-mastered CDs, designed to replicate the exact artwork of the original gramophone records in miniaturised form. Already issued as part of an 80-CD box set (88697130942), these albums are now being made available individually.

This is the first volume of a forthcoming 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. He is especially admired for his performance of music from the Austro-German tradition. 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. He is now embarking on an important phase of his career when he will be playing all of Beethoven’s concertos and sonatas around the world, as well as appearing at festivals and international concert venues playing other music central to his artistic personality, including pieces by Brahms, Prokofiev and Bartok as well as a range of more contemporary music.

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.