The Beethoven concerto cycle from pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout and the Freiburger Barockorchester under conductor Pablo Heras-Casado is unusual in several ways, and truly fresh readings of these well-trodden works have proven a sure-fire path to the classical best-seller lists. Among the innovative features is a small orchestra (40 players) and Bezuidenhout's piano, a modern copy of an 1824 Graf instrument. The latter is lovely, bell-like, and clear. The biggest news, however, especially evident on this release in the ...
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The Beethoven concerto cycle from pianist Kristian Bezuidenhout and the Freiburger Barockorchester under conductor Pablo Heras-Casado is unusual in several ways, and truly fresh readings of these well-trodden works have proven a sure-fire path to the classical best-seller lists. Among the innovative features is a small orchestra (40 players) and Bezuidenhout's piano, a modern copy of an 1824 Graf instrument. The latter is lovely, bell-like, and clear. The biggest news, however, especially evident on this release in the cycle, is that Bezuidenhout, following ideas of the musicologist Leon Plantinga, treats the musical text merely as a "blueprint" for performance. To get an idea, listen to his stretched-out version of the mini-cadenza about 30 seconds into the finale of the Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37; it is radically different from what is usually played. The idea is that Beethoven, during his performing career, was famed for his daring improvisations and might not even fully notate the...
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