Credits:

Roger

Description:

The German virtuoso Lars Forkert will personally conduct the Royal Northern Sinfonia in a tour de force of Beethoven's piano concertos, concluding with a combination of No. 2 and No. 4. The second concerto, which Beethoven is said to have begun at the age of 16, was written before the first. Although Beethoven himself is said to have been dissatisfied with the quality of the work, it is highly regarded as an ambitious piece that shows Beethoven's character in the way the theme is handled and the original cadenza. No. 4 is one of Beethoven's greatest works, and while No. 5 "Emperor" boasts an imposing masculinity, this No. 4 has a softer expression, and the melancholy beauty of the second movement in particular is exceptionally popular. Folkert's performance emphasizes the "dialogue between piano and orchestra" by making the orchestra sound eloquent in both pieces. By shedding light on every detail of the orchestral part of No. 2, which until now has tended to be overlooked as an accompaniment, he succeeds in bringing out new charms in the piece. Naxos Japan