─ 張昊辰／鋼琴
─ 娜塔莉‧史都茲曼／指揮
─ 費城管弦樂團

身為他那個時代最優秀的鋼琴家之一和天才的即興演奏家, 貝多芬探索音樂的首選工具是鋼琴。 以他創作於1788至1809年間的五首鋼琴協奏曲, 他不僅在古典鋼琴協奏曲上取得了輝煌的成果, 也為浪漫主義時代樹立了新的典範: 一種有附屬鋼琴(obbligato piano)的交響曲, 一直持續到二十世紀仍然是一個參考點。

前兩首的協奏曲仍然是緊密地跟隨著海頓和莫札特的模式, 之後的第三號協奏曲標示了一種深度的風格變化。 在鋼琴的部分, 貝多芬將樂器推到了極限, 導致評論家批評他正在為未來的鋼琴寫作。 這種趨勢持續下去並在第四和第五號協奏曲中得到完整呈現, 在今日這兩件是排名在這位偉大作曲家最受推崇的作品中。

張昊辰在2009年成為有史以來獲得范克萊本國際鋼琴比賽金牌獎最年輕的鋼琴家。從那時起, 他憑藉深厚的音樂敏感性, 無畏的想像力和非凡的精湛技術的獨特組合吸引了全世界的觀眾。現在他表演五首貝多芬協奏曲, 由頗具聲望的費城交響樂團在其首席客座指揮, 魅力四射的娜塔莉.史都茲曼 (Nathalie Stutzmann) 的支援下演奏。

3 SACDs for the price of 2

As one of the finest pianists of his era and an improviser of genius, Ludwig van Beethoven`s preferred vehicle for musical exploration was the piano. With his five piano concertos composed between 1788 and 1809, he not only achieved a brilliant conclusion to the Classical piano concerto, but also established a new model for the Romantic era: a sort of symphony with obbligato piano which was to remain a reference point well into the twentieth century.

After the first two concertos, which still closely follow the models of Haydn and Mozart, Concerto No. 3 marks a profound stylistic change. In the piano part, Beethoven pushes the instrument to its limits, leading commentators to remark that he was writing for the piano of the future. This trend continued and reached its fullness in the Fourth and Fifth Concertos, which today rank among the great composer`s most admired works.

In 2009, Haochen Zhang was the youngest pianist ever to receive the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Since then he has captivated audiences worldwide with a unique combination of deep musical sensitivity, fearless imagination and spectacular virtuosity. He now performs the five Beethoven concertos supported by the prestigious Philadelphia Orchestra under its principal guest conductor, the charismatic Nathalie Stutzmann.