New albums streaming

I am pleased to announce that new albums have just been released on streaming and CD!

Beethoven: Waldstein & Appassionata Sonatas on a Broadwood Fortepiano

I am pleased to present piano sonatas by Beethoven on an original historical pianoforte from Beethoven’s time, built by John Broadwood & Sons in London circa 1806. This instrument is built in the English tradition of the late 18th and early 19th century, and its design is significantly different from those used in modern pianos by Steinway, Fazioli, Yamaha, and others. The Broadwood was restored in Amsterdam by Paul Kobald during 2022. The recording is presented with support from the Canada Council for the Arts.

Why play this music on a historical instrument rather than a modern piano? I personally believe what makes Beethoven's music very special is its rawness: the manic excitement, the tumult, the struggle, the frustration,  but also the boldness – the bravery, and the heroic! Beethoven is not innocuous – it needs to provoke, to challenge our notions of what we think classical music is and what it can achieve. These wonderful historical instruments, when working, can produce that rawness and vitality that Beethoven must have strived for, in a way that no modern instrument seems to manage to achieve convincingly, and I hope that these qualities will be apparent on the Broadwood, bearing in mind that it is a 200 year old instrument!

Army of Generals Vol. II

This album continues in our series exploring the music of 18th century Mannheim: a veritable “Athens on the Rhine,” and the famous orchestra of Prince-Elector Karl Theodor. The namesake of this anthology “Army of Generals” comes from a quote by English musicologist Charles Burney, who visited Mannheim in 1772 and wrote: “There are more solo players and good composers in this, than perhaps in any other orchestra in Europe; it is an army of generals, equally fit to plan a battle, as to fight it.” Although this music was extremely popular and influential in its time, it is largely forgotten today, so the release of this anthology of recordings brings new light to this otherwise obscure and underrated repertoire.

The album was recorded during May 2023 in The Hague (NL).

More information may be found at the website of Das Neue Mannheimer Orchester.