2020 is Beethoven Year - he was born 250th years ago, in 1770 – and the record industry is lining up a vast number of releases in celebration. Berlin-based Deutsche Grammophon, not surprisingly, is spearheading the campaign with a huge Beethoven Edition and one of the earliest releses is a new set of the five piano concertos.
The young Polish-Canadian pianist, Jan Lisiecki, joined the Academy of St Martin in the Fields for a tour which ended up in Berlin with a live recording.
Lisiecki spoke to James Jolly at the Jurmula Festival in Latvia – where Jan was playing the Fourth Concerto with the Israel Philharmonic and Zubin Mehta, and he explained how this project came about and how the Fourth Concerto occupies a special place in his musical affections and career.