Preorder the new Beethoven on Broadwood album
I am pleased to announce that my new Beethoven solo album on fortepiano is now available for pre-order. Shipments of the CD’s will start on 15 November 2023. The album will be available on digital streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music, Amazon Music) on 1 December 2023.
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!
Tracks
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 “Waldstein”: I. Allegro con brio
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 “Waldstein”: II. Introduzione: Adagio molto
Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53 “Waldstein”: III. Rondo. Allegretto moderato — Prestissimo
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata”: I. Allegro assai
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata”: II. Andante con moto
Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 “Appassionata”: III. Allegro ma non troppo – Presto
