Alice Sara Ott - Beethoven - Deutsche Grammophon: 4864898 - CD or download

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The clarity and realism of the recording in the concerto are what first impress...Of course, such an achievement would be meaningless if the performance was not at the same level, but the orchestral... — BBC Music Magazine, December 2023, 5 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 29th Sep 2023
Catalogue No: 4864898
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Length: 57 minutes

BBC Music Magazine

December 2023

Concerto Choice

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Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15

Work length33:25

$3.30

$4.50

$6.15

Alice Sara Ott (piano)
Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Karina Canellakis
Recorded: 2022-10-10
Recording Venue: Muziekcentrum van de Omroep

I. Allegro con brio

Track length14:29

$1.10

$1.50

$2.05

II. Largo

Track length9:56

$1.10

$1.50

$2.05

III. Rondo. Allegro scherzando

Track length9:00

$1.10

$1.50

$2.05

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight'

Work length15:33

$3.30

$4.50

$6.15

Alice Sara Ott (piano)
Recorded: 2023-03-01
Recording Venue: Siemens-Villa, Berlin

I. Adagio sostenuto

Track length5:23

$1.10

$1.50

$2.05

II. Allegretto – Trio

Track length2:18

$1.10

$1.50

$2.05

III. Presto agitato

Track length7:52

$1.10

$1.50

$2.05

Beethoven: Für Elise (Bagatelle in A minor, WoO59)

Work length2:46

$1.10

$1.50

$2.05

Alice Sara Ott (piano)
Recorded: 2023-03-01
Recording Venue: Siemens-Villa, Berlin

Excerpt, Beethoven: Bagatelles (11), Op. 119

Work length2:08

$1.10

$1.50

$2.05

Alice Sara Ott (piano)
Recorded: 2023-03-01
Recording Venue: Siemens-Villa, Berlin

No. 1, Allegretto

Track length2:08

$1.10

$1.50

$2.05

Beethoven: Piano Piece in C major 'Lustig, traurig' WoO 54

Work length1:33

$1.10

$1.50

$2.05

Alice Sara Ott (piano)
Recorded: 2023-03-01
Recording Venue: Siemens-Villa, Berlin

Beethoven: Allegretto in B minor WoO 61

Work length2:09

$1.10

$1.50

$2.05

Alice Sara Ott (piano)
Recorded: 2023-03-01
Recording Venue: Siemens-Villa, Berlin

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Earlier in 2023, pianist Alice Sara Ott became the face of the Apple Music Classical app when she starred in its launch video, performing Beethoven’s Piano Concerto no.1, op.15 with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and its Chief Conductor Karina Canellakis. The recording of it now becomes the headline work in Ott’s latest Deutsche Grammophon album, Beethoven. The pianist has paired it with a series of solo works, including “Für Elise” and the “Moonlight” Sonata.

With global streams of 325 million and counting to her name, Alice Sara Ott is known as one of the most compelling artists of her generation. Beethoven follows 2021’s critically acclaimed Echoes of Life, of which BBC Music Magazine said, “Her playing is technically unimpeachable, with beauty of tone, virtuoso flair and fine musical judgment throughout.”

Alice Sara Ott has long been praised for her insightful interpretations of Beethoven’s music. “He is a master of contrasts and proportions,” she explains, when asked what his work means to her. “In his music, the piano becomes an orchestra, a theatrical stage … he builds entire landscapes and cities with his musical architecture.”

That sense of scale and theatre is evident in Concerto no.1. Intended to showcase Beethoven’s own pianistic virtuosity, its bold, dynamic writing anticipates the groundbreaking music he would go on to compose. Ott, Canellakis and the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra rehearsed and recorded Concerto no.1 in a single day and, by creating what the pianist calls “a common language”, achieved this interpretation of “musical clarity and transparency”.

The first of Ott’s solo choices for Beethoven is the ever popular “Moonlight” Sonata, which dates from the same period as Concerto no.1. It was an instant sensation, not least because of its slow and dreamlike opening movement. Ott captures its varied moods, from that sombre beginning to the turbulence of the finale. After performing it, she says, “one feels transported both mentally and physically”.

The pianist rounds off the album with four miniatures, including the A minor Bagatelle, “Für Elise”. Her choices were made to “add a bit of spice” – but, as she adds, even “seemingly simple and ordinary gestures and melodies” can represent “an infinitely complex labyrinth”.

Reviews

December 2023

The clarity and realism of the recording in the concerto are what first impress...Of course, such an achievement would be meaningless if the performance was not at the same level, but the orchestral tutti combines energy and sensitivity, before Ott enters in an almost improvisatory fashion, then takes off with delicacy and rhythmic wit.

November 2023

Whatever the rationale behind Alice Sara Ott’s hybrid programme, her Beethoven is enlivened by some fascinating interpretative touches. She greets the first solo in the Concerto with a twinkle in her eye, as if to make the piece instantly her own.

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Alice Sara Ott - Beethoven

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