Lang Lang: Beethoven - The Piano Concertos - 3CD Set

Lang Lang’s Beethoven Piano Concertos: A Landmark Recording for the Anniversary Year

Fulfilling a long-held dream, Lang Lang has recorded his first complete cycle of the Beethoven piano concertos. After recording Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 4 in 2007, he has since performed all five many times. He now returns to these masterworks in his first studio recording of the complete cycle, reflecting decades of performance, encounters with other great musicians and a deepened understanding of Beethoven’s musical language. “With time, I’ve learned to hear beneath the surface – to understand how every detail contributes to Beethoven’s larger musical architecture.”

Together with renowned conductor Andris Nelsons and the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, Lang Lang brings this perspective into dialogue with the orchestra’s deep-rooted Beethoven tradition. The concertos are complemented by the composer’s Piano Sonata No. 31, Op. 110, which has special personal significance for Lang Lang: he performed it at his audition for the Curtis Institute of Music, making this recording a return not only to Beethoven but also to his own musical beginnings. The album also features new transcriptions of individual movements from Symphonies Nos. 7 and 9: the Allegretto from No. 7 and a personal favourite, the “Ode to Joy” from No. 9.

The Deutsche Grammophon release is set for March 5, 2027, commemorating the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death. It will be available digitally and as a 3-CD set and a limited 5-LP box set. A special Pure Analogue Recording (AAA) of Piano Concerto No. 5 will be released on LP, alongside the digital recording on CD, in a limited 1-LP + CD edition, allowing the direct comparison of both soundworlds.

3-CD Digipack details:
• Extensive 28pp booklet with liner notes in English and German

Tracklist

CD 1
1. Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15 – I. Allegro con brio
2. Piano Concerto No. 1 – II. Largo
3. Piano Concerto No. 1 – III. Rondo. Allegro scherzando
4. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 19 – I. Allegro con brio
5. Piano Concerto No. 2 – II. Adagio
6. Piano Concerto No. 2 – III. Rondo. Molto allegro
CD 2
1. Piano Concerto No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37 – I. Allegro con brio
2. Piano Concerto No. 3 – II. Largo
3. Piano Concerto No. 3 – III. Rondo. Allegro
4. Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 – I. Allegro moderato
5. Piano Concerto No. 4 – II. Andante con moto
6. Piano Concerto No. 4 – III. Rondo. Vivace
CD 3
1. Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat major, Op. 73 “Emperor” – I. Allegro
2. Piano Concerto No. 5 – II. Adagio un poco moto
3. Piano Concerto No. 5 – III. Rondo. Allegro ma non troppo
4. Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat major, Op. 110 – I. Moderato cantabile, molto
espressivo
5. Piano Sonata No. 31 – II. Allegro molto
6. Piano Sonata No. 31 – III. Adagio ma non troppo – Fuga. Allegro ma non troppo
7. Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92 – II. Allegretto, arranged by Asiya Korepanova
for piano
8. “Ode to Joy”, arranged by Peter Schindler for piano from Symphony No. 9