Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 19

Praised by The New York Times for her “clear articulation … unequivocal phrasing … [and] expressivity”, Ingrid Jacoby has established herself as one of the most poetic and admired pianists of her generation. She began her piano studies with Larisa Gorodecka, herself a pupil of Heinrich Neuhaus. Graduating at 16 with highest honours from the St Louis Conservatory of Music, Ingrid Jacoby went on to win the National Baldwin Piano Competition, the Concert Artists Guild International Piano Competition and the Steinway Hall Artists Prize. In America, the National Society of Arts and Letters awarded her one of its highest distinctions, the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Her discography includes the world premiere recording of Korngold’s solo piano pieces, works of Gershwin and Bernstein with the Russian National Orchestra, and a recording of the Shostakovich and Ustvolskaya piano concertos with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras, which earned the highest commendation from the American Record Guide.

This recording of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 marks Ingrid Jacoby’s debut on ICA Classics ‘Live’ series. It also marks the start of a complete cycle of the Beethoven Concertos for ICA Classics which will be released over the next two years.

The CD contains notes by Richard Wigmore in addition to personal insights by Ingrid Jacoby on Beethoven interpretation. Her performances produce many imaginative and individual touches which make these recordings stand out in a crowded catalogue.

The accompaniment by the Sinfonia Varsovia drew the following praise from Martha Argerich: “...they are wonderful, they are one of the best orchestras, not only in Poland. First class.” (August 2009). Award-winning conductor Jacek Kaspszyk has been Artistic Director of the NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic since 2006 and until recently was also Music Director of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Here he continues his long association with the Sinfonia Varsovia.

Beautifully recorded in the best digital sound, there is a palpable feeling of the live performance being created in the Witold Lutoslawski Concert Studio.

Alongside a small list of compositions, the Fourth Concerto in G op. 58 occupies a privileged position in the statistics of Beethoven’s works that are most frequently performed, and most often recorded. Accordingly, it might seem paradoxical to include a version of it in a series dedicated to Beethoven rarities, unless we try to find the reason for this apparently singular choice by taking a look at a series of events linked to the genesis of this masterpiece. The events at the time remind us that the first performance of the Fourth – with Beethoven at the keyboard - took place in March 1807 at the palace of Prince Lobkowitz. However, this was an academy reserved for a select few subscribing members.

The Viennese public had to wait another 18 months to hear it, at the Theater An der Wien, with the composer again at the pianoforte, on the occasion of the historic (and interminable) concert of 22 December 1808, which also saw the first performance of the Fifth and the Pastoral Symphony, as well as the Choral Fantasia op. 80. Meanwhile, in August of that year, the Kunst und Industrie Komptor had already published op. 58 in the canonical version which we know today. However, in the following months pianofortes with an extended keyboard had begun to spread, and rapidly too. Beethoven was not indifferent to this new development.

Indeed, he had already conducted some experiments on the newly extended range, introduced in the Waldstein-Sonate op. 53. It is plausible that this may have been one of the reasons which led the composer to modify his op. 58, despite the fact that the sheet music had just been published. In any event, it is certain that, for the academy performance of 22 December he decided to rewrite fully 180 bars of the first and third movement. We have providential evidence of this new version thanks to a manuscript with his own hand-written corrections, at the Musikfreunde Gesellschaft in Vienna.

Britain's renowned Leeds International Piano Competition brought German pianist Lars Vogt his breakthrough – and the attention of conductor Simon Rattle. One of the fruits that their subsequent collaboration bore is this recording full of excitement, subtlety and brilliant virtuosity.