Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto Op. 61a
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This album features a fresh interpretation on period instruments of Ludwig van Beethoven's seldom-heard Piano Concerto in D major Op. 61a – Beethoven’s own piano transcription of his famous Violin Concerto Op. 61, completed during 1807. The solo is performed by Anders Muskens on an original fortepiano by John Broadwood & Sons in London c. 1806, restored by Paul Kobald in Amsterdam in 2022. He is accompanied by the ensemble Das Neue Mannheimer Orchester, jointly led by Muskens and Australian / British concertmaster Rachael Beesley. Our approach indulges in the expressivity and emotionality of early Romantic aesthetics, and we dare to engage and experiment with expressive devices of the nineteenth-century orchestra. Many of these devices, like tempo and rhythmic flexibility, dislocation, and portamenti, are not commonly practiced by today’s orchestras; however, they were integral to the nineteenth-century orchestral performing practice. This album presents a new take on Beethoven, inspired by historical sources, that challenges the status quo.
OFFICIAL RELEASE DATE
October 25, 2024
via Leaf Music Distribution
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Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)
Piano Concerto in D major Op. 61a
- Allegro ma non troppo
Cadenza: Ludwig van Beethoven, adapted to a 5 ½ octave piano compass by Anders Muskens - Larghetto
Ausgang: Anders Muskens, improvised - Rondo. Allegro
Eingang: Anders Muskens, improvised
Cadenza: Anders Muskens, semi-improvised
FEATURING
Anders Muskens, fortepiano
Rachael Beesley, concertmaster
& Das Neue Mannheimer Orchester
Violin I: Noyuri Hazama, Alexandra Lopez, Yumina Ishii
Violin II: Pietro Battistoni, Saaya Ikenoya, Ana Ares Giusti, Alexandre Turmel
Viola: Jasper Snow, Lena Rademann
Cello: Evan Buttar, Anne-Linde Visser
Double Bass: Alon Portal
Flute: Florencia Gómez
Oboe: Federico Forla, Karolina Szymanik
Clarinet: Elia Celegato, Alejandro Fariña Martin
Horn: Nicolas Roudier, Fabio Forgiarini
Bassoon: Bernat Gili, Jeong-Guk Lee
Trumpet: Nicolas Isabelle, Amir Rabinovitz
Timpani: Rubén Castillo del Pozo
Producer & lead sound engineer: Jakub Klimeš
Piano technician & tuning: Paul Kobald