Claudio Arrau Beethoven Piano Concerto

Step into the sublime world of Ludwig van Beethoven with the masterful interpretations of Claudio Arrau, accompanied by the renowned Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of Alceo Galliera. In this captivating album released on Warner Classics, experience the power and grace of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 19, and the profound beauty of his Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 10 No. 3.

Claudio Arrau was the youngest of three children of the married couple Don Carlos and Lucretia Leon de Arrau.

Legendary Chilean pianist Claudio Arrau is backed by the Philharmonia Orchestra headed by Italian conductor Alceo Galliera in this programme of Beethoven works, transferred from original analog sources to high-fidelity digital formats by Warner Classics!

The second volume of Claudio Arrau’s mythical Beethoven concerto cycle conducted by Alceo Galliera and the Philharmonia Orchestra.

Claudio Arrau war das jüngste von drei Kindern der Eheleute Don Carlos und Lucretia Leon de Arrau. Seine Mutter, die bei seiner Geburt 43 Jahre alt war, erteilte Klavierunterricht.

Claudio Arrau (1903-1991) is a pianist fully deserving of the epithet ‘legendary’. His rigorous intellect and sense of the sublime found expression in his transcendent technique and sumptuous, yet lucid sonorities.

These recordings reflect how Arrau s textually scrupulous yet highly personal mastery of many styles had matured and ripened, while retaining the fire and ardency of his youth. Arrau s Mozart, Weber and Chopin probe beyond the music s surface charm, as do the luminous and full-bodied Spanish and French Impressionist selections. Cumulative momentum and thoughtful detail characterize Arrau s Beethoven and Schumann while the extraordinary technical finish of his Liszt transcends mere virtuosity and bravura.

He was one of the most important virtuosos in the world, and his ingenuity is still undisputed – well over twenty years after his death – as are the standards he set with many of his recordings.

Alceo Galliera was a very sought-after accompanying conductor, excelling in the concertante repertoire due to his natural ability to get along and share artistic views with the soloist. His numerous recordings with Claudio Arrau reflect this constant concern for harmonious musical dialogue and are absolute references in Romantic concertos. This album includes works by Schumann, Grieg, and Beethoven’s fourth concerto.