Austrian pianist Till Fellner, whose two Bach albums on ECM have won him unanimous international acclaim, teams up with conductor Kent Nagano and his Orchestre Symphonie de Montréal for a sensitive and meticulous interpretation of Beethoven's much-loved Piano Concertos Nos. 4 and 5.
In a review of the recording to be published in the March issue of 'Fanfare' Jerry Dubins speaks of "a stunning achievement" and points out that "the recording has a fullness, depth, and solidity to it that are equal to the very best modern technology has to offer." Fellner and Nagano, musical collaborators for more than a decade, share a delicate and sensitive approach to Beethoven's middle period that, by eschewing all demonstrativeness, focuses on natural tempi, transparent sound and maximum clarity of articulation. While Fellner continues his much-lauded cycle of Beethoven's 32 Piano Sonatas on major concert platforms in Europe (including London's Wigmore Hall), the US and Japan, Nagano and his Montreal orchestra have received much attention with their Beethoven project "Ideals of the French Revolution".
Personnel: Till Fellner (piano), Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Kent Nagano (conductor)