“Emil Gilels stands out as giant among giants,” wrote Gramophone when the Odessa-born pianist died in 1985. “In terms of virtuosity he was second to none, yet his leonine power was tempered by a delicacy and poetry that few have matched and none has surpassed.” Beethoven was at the heart of Gilels’ repertoire and in 1968 he recorded this complete cycle of the composer’s piano concerto with the Cleveland Orchestra and its long-standing maestro, another musical titan of the era, George Szell.
Why is Beethoven one of the most revered composers in the history of Western music? Professor Robert Greenberg answers: "Beethoven possessed a unique gift for communication. He radiated an absolute directness that makes his music totally accessible. The sheer emotional power of his music is readily understood. His revolutionary compositional ideas are easily appreciated. "And his nine symphonies are among the greatest achievements of the human spirit. "They were revolutionary on every level: harmonic, melodic, rhythmic, formal, dramatic, self-expressive, and emotional. Beethoven led the charge to a totally new era. He threw out the restraint of 18th-century classicism and ushered in romantic self-expression. His symphonic offspring were the first statesmen of this new, musical democracy."
Rudolf Buchbinder is firmly established as one of the most important pianists on the international scene, he is a regular guest of such renowned orchestras as the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Orchestre National de France, London Philharmonic, National Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. He has collaborated with the world’s most distinguished conductors including Abbado, Dohnányi, Dudamel, Frühbeck de Burgos, Giulini, Harnoncourt, Maazel, Masur, Mehta, Saraste, Sawallisch and Thielemann and is a regular guest at the Salzburger Festspiele and other major festivals around the world.
Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the towering heroes of music. As a composer, he became a transformational, sometimes revolutionary force. As a man of spirit and inspiration, he triumphed over deafness to produce a wealth of masterpieces. Over the course of more than two centuries, his works have delighted, surprised, amazed and moved listeners. The greatest moments of his multi-faceted genius – from the heroic to the intimate – can be experienced here in performances by instrumentalists, singers and conductors of the utmost distinction.
Just in time for his 80th birthday, Daniel Barenboim was honoured with the Gramophone Award 2022 for his life's work. The career of the famous Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor began early, Wilhelm Furtwängler already said about him: "The eleven-year-old Daniel Barenboim is a phenomenon". Later, as chief conductor, Barenboim led world-class orchestras such as the Orchestre de Paris, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and, since 1992, the Staatskapelle Berlin. With the founding of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, the UN peace ambassador united musicians from Israel, Palestine and the Arab states. As a soloist, the pianist has worked with renowned conductors; with Sir John Barbirolli, for example, he recorded Brahms’ piano concertos. Barenboim's discography is impressive; with his first wife, the cellist Jacqueline Du Pré, he formed a musical dream team. Other legendary recordings of works by Mozart, Beethoven, Bruckner and Wagner were made with the Staatskapelle Berlin and the Berlin Philharmonic, among others.