There is hardly a better way to approach Ludwig van Beethoven than through his piano concertos. Beethoven’s own instrument was the piano, and in his improvisations – which made him the darling of the Viennese salons – he merged virtuosity and unbridled expression. The piano concertos give a clear idea of these performances. At the same time, they are prime examples of Beethoven’s ability to create large orchestral works with seemingly endless arcs of tension. The complete recording of all five works with Mitsuko Uchida and Sir Simon Rattle was one of the most spectacular projects of the Berliner Philharmoniker during the Rattle era – and at the same time the highlight of the collaboration between the orchestra and the pianist, which began in 1984.
The grand scale and magnificent acoustics of the Roman arena in Verona are ideally suited to the pag...
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Leonard Bernstein made these recordings during his wonderfully productive collaboration with the Wie...
Beethoven spent three years composing the Eroica, an intimate journal of his emotional crises and hi...
In this short, Johnny Green leads the MGM Symphony Orchestra in a performance of the overture to Ros...
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The Süddeutsche Zeitung summed up this highly acclaimed performance of Bruckner's monumental Fifth S...
The audience is invited into Violetta’s privacy to have a close look at the fire to which she abando...
These recordings, filmed in March and April 1974 for the BBC, occurred at the tail end of the old pe...