Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58

Austrian pianist Till Fellner, whose two Bach albums on ECM have won him unanimous international acclaim, teams up with conductor Kent Nagano and his Orchestre Symphonie de Montréal for a sensitive and meticulous interpretation of Beethoven’s much-loved Piano Concertos Nos. 4 and 5.

In a review of the recording to be published in the March issue of ‘Fanfare’ Jerry Dubins speaks of “a stunning achievement” and points out that “the recording has a fullness, depth, and solidity to it that are equal to the very best modern technology has to offer.” Fellner and Nagano, musical collaborators for more than a decade, share a delicate and sensitive approach to Beethoven’s middle period that, by eschewing all demonstrativeness, focuses on natural tempi, transparent sound and maximum clarity of articulation. While Fellner continues his muchlauded cycle of Beethoven’s 32 Piano Sonatas on major concert platforms in Europe (including London’s Wigmore Hall), the US and Japan, Nagano and his Montreal orchestra have received much attention with their Beethoven project “Ideals of the French Revolution”.

Clara Haskil was born in Budapest in 1895 and was a child prodigy. She studied at the Bucharest Conservatoire when she was only 6 and later studied in Vienna and Paris. She was regarded as an excellent interpreter of the works of Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin and Scarlatti.

At the public première of the Fourth Piano Concerto in 1808, Beethoven performed the piano part very ‘capriciously’ according to his pupil Carl Czerny, playing many more notes than are to be found in the printed edition. A clear indication of what Beethoven played comes from his copyist’s orchestral score, in which the outer movements contain annotations in the composer's hand. These have been transcribed by Beethoven scholar Barry Cooper who describes this rarely recorded 1808 version as ‘more sparkling, virtuosic and sophisticated than the standard one’.

Karl Böhm and Wilhelm Backhaus enjoyed an especially harmonious artistic partnership.The two musicians worked together frequently, both on the concert platform and in the recording studio: their cooperation is well documented in the form of recordings for the radio and on disc.These interpretations of the Fourth Piano Concerto and the Fourth Symphony with the RIAS Symphony Orchestra from the early 1950s are amongst the first Beethoven recordings made by Karl Böhm after the Second World War.The G major Piano Concerto by Beethoven was a favourite of Wilhelm Backhaus. Serene, tranquil and at peace with himself, he presents a congenial realisation of the score together with Böhm. Karl Böhm's virtues as a conductor, such as his precision, discipline and kapellmeister-like rigour, find an equal counterpart in the clear pianism of the 66-year-old Wilhelm Backhaus.

Olli Mustonen crowns his acclaimed cycle of complete Beethoven concertos with recordings of the famous Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos.

Olli Mustonen performs these virtuoso works simultaneously as pianist and conductor – a demanding practice in line with Beethoven’s intentions, which can however be only seldom experienced in today’s concert life or on disc.

Mustonen develops his visionary approach to these works together with the renowned chamber orchestra Tapiola Sinfonietta; together they have toured Europe with this programme to much acclaim.

The SACD quality faithfully renders Mustonen’s incomparable mastery of piano sound and technique.

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.

Three great pianists of the 20th-century are brought together on this unique CD, which features live performances from 1939 and the immediate post-war years. Wilhelm Backhaus gives a superlative account of Beethoven’s Fourth Concerto in New York with the lamented Guido Cantelli offering magnificent orchestral support. Pierre Monteux and the Concertgebouw Orchestra partner the wonderful Hungarian pianist Lili Kraus in Weber’s beautiful Konzertstück – a rare recording, indeed – and Arthur Rubinstein is at his scintillating best in Rachmaninov’s Paganini Rhapsody, with the legendary Victor de Sabata and the New York Philharmonic on top form.

Leon Fleisher (1928 - ) was born in San Francisco. He had his piano debut at the age of eight, began studies with Artur Schnabel at nine, made his San Francisco Symphony debut at 14, then he had his Carnegie Hall debut at 16 playing with the New York Philharmonic under Pierre Monteux. He won the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Piano Competition in Belgium in 1952, became one of the most sought-after soloists and recitalists in the world's finest concert halls, and began a rich series of recordings with, among others, Georg Szell and The Cleveland Orchestra. His landmark version of Mozart, Beethoven and Brahms concertos as well as his solo recordings of Schubert and his explorations of the American repertory would become cult classics. In 1965, he was cruelly sidelined at the height of his powers by a rare neurological disease that lost him the use of his right hand. Undeterred, while being told by his doctors that he would never play again, he became an inspirational teacher and conductor, all the while playing-and in fact revitalizing-the left-handed repertory, determined not to be defeated.

Leon Fleisher's great career was cut short early by his debilitating illness at the age of 37 and so any recording featuring his distinguished playing is important. These WDR sourced recordings are rare because they showcase Fleisher in a 'live' studio broadcast (almost all his recordings were in the studio with George Szell for Sony during the 1950's and early 1960's).

Here is partnered in two of Beethoven's most popular concertos by two of the most distinguished conductors of the period, Otto Klemperer and Hans Rosbaud.

Klemperer's performance of Gluck's Iphegenie aus Aulis Overture from the same concert on 27 February 1956 has been added in as a bonus.

This is the first authorized release of these recordings in superb sound using WDR's original master tapes.