Nathalie Stutzmann’s first recording as Principal Guest Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra, featuring pianist Haochen Zhang in Beethoven’s complete Piano Concertos, is released today under BIS Records:
“Together, Zhang and Stutzmann’s Beethoven is at once stylistically assured and not quite like any other. (…) one might well ask what we’ve done to deserve yet another brilliant collaboration in the Beethoven concertos. Yet Zhang/Stutzmann/Philadelphia is precisely that, and I urge you to not miss it.”
Gramophone
“The Philadelphia Orchestra’s playing is also uniformly excellent. Listen to how beautifully Stutzmann shapes the opening exposition of the first concerto, distilling an atmosphere of excited expectation. Zhang’s perfectly realizes Beethoven’s unexpectedly genial response, though the ease with which he tosses off the following deluge of rapid passagework is mightily impressive. The entire movement has a lightness that sounds fresh and newly minted. The slow movement has more introverted, played with a beguiling lyricism by Zheng and the orchestra, while the final movement returns us to the playful high spirits of the first. A similar joy de vivre is found in the second concerto, and both performances are definite highlights of the set.”
The Classical Review
“To both honor the score and imbue it with individuality and a genuine point of view is no easy task, yet Zhang’s enlivening pianism and Stutzmann’s stimulating leadership work wonders throughout these reference-worthy performances. Enthusiastically recommended.”
Classics Today