Academy of St Martin in the Fields

Dialogue with Beethoven - Sometimes the "agony of choice" can be avoided quite easily. For example, when Jan Lisiecki is asked which Beethoven piano concerto he prefers, the answer is: "I have five favorite concertos!" It was clear that the Canadian star pianist with Polish roots would be one of the internationally outstanding Beethoven interpreters when he stepped in at short notice for Martha Argerich in 2013 - at the age of just 18 - to perform Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto under Claudio Abbado. It was another twist of fate that Lisiecki was able to stand in for Murray Perahia at the planned live recording with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in 2018 - and conjured up an astonishing experience both as a soloist and conductor thanks to his unique chemistry with the ensemble. Not only the audience, but also the press were overwhelmed by the "sparkling performance, which seems refreshingly spontaneous - and yet is completely thought through." (Tagesspiegel)

For Lisiecki, the five piano concertos "bring together all the important, sometimes contradictory facets of Beethoven". Therefore, after Anna Clyne's Beethoven-inspired overture "Stride", the Albert guest performance will first feature Beethoven - and then even more Beethoven. Lisiecki's selection spans the arc from Beethoven's first appearance at the Burgtheater, where he presumably introduced himself to the Viennese city audience in 1795 with the Mozartian sparkling Piano Concerto op. 19. The public premiere of the Concerto op. 58 in December 1808 marked the master's last appearance as a concert soloist. The very first notes of the work were startling - because they were so delicate and because they floated not from the orchestra but from the piano, quietly, almost improvisationally tentative. An astonishing beginning, emblematic of the entire concerto, which rethinks the dialog between solo and orchestra.

Program:
Clyne, "Stride" for string orchestra (2020)
Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major op. 19
Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major op. 58

Jan Lisiecki, piano
Tomo Keller, violin and conductor
Academy of St Martin in the Fields

With the kind support of the Freunde und Förderer der Albert Konzerte e.V.

EUR 119,- / 105,- / 89,- / 65,- / 51,- incl. fees

Jan Lisiecki | Photo © Stefano Galuzzi