The third and final volume in the complete recordings of Beethoven’s Piano Concerti, by François-Frédéric Guy and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Philipe Jordan.

Following the critically-acclaimed first two volumes in this series the flourishing musical partnership between François-Frédéric Guy and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France under Philipe Jordan continues with Beethoven’s Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 3. Beethoven’s Piano concerto No. 2 in B flat major Op. 19 took 15 years to write and was the earliest piano concerto that Beethoven himself deemed appropriate for presentation to the public. In comparison, the creative process that to Op. 37 was relatively short. In this stunning work, the scoring of Op.19 is expanded to include clarinets, trumpets and timpani in the orchestra.

François-Frédéric Guy is now firmly established as a pianist of immense interpretative authority and superlative technique, especially admired in music of the Austro-German tradition. His recording of this last work for Näive was recently declared the best available by BBC Radio 3’s Building a Library. Currently Principal Guest Conductor of the Berlin Staatsoper and Musical Director of the Opera National de Paris starting in the 2009-10 season, Philippe Jordan has at 34 already established himself as one of the most gifted and exciting conductors of his generation.