Jonathan Biss album release of the Volume I Beethoven/5 Commissioning Project

Today, pianist Jonathan Biss releases Volume I of the Beethoven/5 Commissioning Project on Orchid Classics. Biss celebrates Beethoven's legacy through five unique perspectives in collaboration with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and more than fifteen other orchestras. Including five new concertos as companion works to Beethoven's five concertos, beginning with Beethoven's 5 piano concerto, the "Emperor," along with a companion work by foremost composers Brett Deans "A Winter's Journey". Recorded with Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and David Afkham.

The "Beethoven/5" project represents a unique attempt to come to terms with Beethoven's monumental influence on the musical landscape. Biss explained, “Each of Beethoven’s five piano concertos is pathbreaking in its own way, and each is gloriously, unmistakably him — full of spirituality, play, and fierce conviction. These pieces are so ubiquitous, though, that it is easy to lose sight of how revolutionary — how vital — they are. One aim of this project is to put that aspect of Beethoven’s music front and centre.”

The "Beethoven: Emperor Concerto & Brett Dean: A Winter's Journey" is available on CD and online on all major streaming platforms.