JAN LISIECKI RELEASES BEETHOVEN’S COMPLETE PIANO CONCERTOS ON VINYL
NEW 5-LP-SET OUT NOW
“If one thinks of the Beethoven concerti as novels, each offers a deep spiritual journey.
Performed together, this definitive anthology gives new light to the power of Beethoven’s genius.”
Jan Lisiecki
31 JANUARY 2025 (TORONTO, ON) — Canadian star pianist Jan Lisiecki releases his acclaimed cycle of Beethoven’s five piano concertos for the first time on vinyl as a high-quality 5-LP box set. Playing the dual role of soloist and conductor, he is accompanied by the world-acclaimed Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
Lisiecki believes the composer did not conceive the piano concertos as a cycle. “In spite of this,” he adds, “they belong together because they reveal such a differentiated picture of Beethoven, starting with the first two, which still honour Mozart’s legacy. Then follow Nos. 3 and 4, both so inherently different in character, and the majestic ‘Emperor’ Concerto forms the finale.” It is this wide-ranging variety that Lisiecki finds fascinating, as it “reveals all the significant and oftentimes contradictory aspects of Beethoven’s music”. At the same time, the works signify a historic change: “Beethoven rewrote the rules of the Classical piano concerto and completely reinvented the genre by breaking with traditions.”
Beethoven has proved a serendipitous theme in Jan Lisiecki’s remarkable rise to international renown. In 2013, he performed the composer’s Piano Concerto No. 4 with Claudio Abbado and the Orchestra Mozart in Bologna, standing in at very short notice. It was with this same concerto that the young Canadian pianist made his Carnegie Hall debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra under Yannick Nézet-Séguin four years later, and it was the first Beethoven concerto he directed from the piano, at Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
This recording is also a testament to both Lisiecki’s courage and his commitment: in late 2018, Murray Perahia was forced to pull out of a series of performances at the last moment. Jan Lisiecki did not shy away from the challenge and joined the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, directing all five Beethoven concertos from the piano at the Konzerthaus Berlin – three concerts in five days. The musicians of the Academy, who have intimate knowledge of the scores and decades of experience when it comes to “reading” this collection of works, proved to be ideal musical partners for Lisiecki.
The Konzerthaus Berlin series was hailed by the critics, with Tagesspiegel praising the pianist for “sparkling performances that seem refreshingly spontaneous, yet are intellectually perfectly formed”.
** Beethoven concerto cycle tour dates**
7 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 – Isarphilharmonie, Munich
8 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 – Isarphilharmonie, Munich
9 January 2025 – Piano Concerto No. 5; Triple Concerto – Isarphilharmonie, Munich
10 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 – Congress Center Rosengarten, Mannheim
12 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 – Konzerthaus, Freiburg
13 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 – Congress Centrum, Hannover
14 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 – Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg
15 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 – Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg
16 January 2025 – Piano Concerto No. 5; Triple Concerto – Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg
18 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 – Konzert- und Kongresszentrum Harmonie, Heilbronn
19 January 2025 – Piano Concerto No. 5; Triple Concerto – Alte Oper, Frankfurt
21 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 – Congress Innsbruck
22 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 – Meistersingerhalle, Nuremberg
23 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 – Audimax, Regensburg
24 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 3 – Philharmonie, Cologne
26 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 – Philharmonie, Cologne
27 January 2025 – Piano Concerto No. 5; Triple Concerto – Philharmonie, Cologne
28 January 2025 – Piano Concerto No. 5; Triple Concerto – Konzerthaus, Berlin
29 January 2025 – Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 4 – Kulturpalast, Dresden
5 & 6 February 2025 – Complete Piano Concertos – Toronto Symphony Orchestra
13 & 14 February 2025 – Complete Piano Concertos – Berner Symphonieorchester
27 & 28 February 2025 – Piano Concerto No. 5 – Orchestra della Svizzera italiana
12 & 13 April 2025 – Piano Concerto No. 5 – London Philharmonic Orchestra