These are invigorating performances of Beethoven’s first and last concertos, conveying an admirable sense of spontaneity…The entire performance [of No. 2] radiates energy and enjoyment… Bezuidenhout treats the flourishes at the beginning of the Emperor Concerto with a good deal of freedom, lending them an appropriately improvisatory feel…This really is exciting playing, and Bezuidenhout’s virtuosity is impressive.

the performance of the Second Concerto is quite brilliantly conceived and executed…the finale brings a smile to the face immediately, and the overall performance is ultimately exhilarating. As it stands, I believe that this new recording is now a clear first choice for period-instrument performance.

One of the choicest offerings thus far this celebratory Beethoven year...Bezuidenhout has a long, fruitful relationship with Freiburg...Add to the mix the lively imagination of Heras-Casado, the Freiburgers playing their hearts out, plus expert sound as clean as you’re likely to come across in 2020, and you have the makings of a hot recording.

Thanks to his artistry – and to excellent support from the Freiburger Barockorchester and Pablo Heras-Casado – there are moments which will convince even those listeners most wedded to modern instruments.

[Bezuidenhout’s] performance of the Emperor concerto is scintillatingly dramatic, heroic, deftly articulated and, above all, fresh; and the instrument he plays seems to possess plenty of power. The Second Concerto is given equally enticingly...both readings are enhanced by the brilliantly coloured playing of the Freiburgers under Pablo Heras-Casado.

[Bezuidenhout] and Heras-Casado have thought deeply about how best to make these pieces sing. He plays on a copy of an 1824 Conrad Graf fortepiano, which sounds both perky and soft-edged, with a slight woodiness allied to an almost bell-like clarity...The orchestra can be almost boisterous, but the piano tempers it with a raised eyebrow, or with its sheer charm...But what marks this recording out is the way they make the music dance – as if no one is watching.