After a first appearance on ECMs New Series with premiere recordings of Israeli composer Gideon Lewensohns works on Odradek (2002), two subsequent solo recitals plus a duo programme with violinist Caroline Widmann (2012), here pianist Alexander Lonquich, alongside the Mnchener Kammerorchester, rises to a more extensive challenge, in performing the entirety of Beethovens piano concertos, programmed in chronological order.

The pivotal works document the composers development over two decades, rendered in striking interpretations here. In his own detailed liner note, the German pianist calls these recordings a very special experience, for performers and listeners alike. The usually common placement of the individual works in the context of a symphony concert all too often runs the risk of confirming and reinforcing what is already traditional, while this chronological order draws attention to stylistic leaps in the compositions and allows the listener to experience Beethovens development as the author of these outward-looking creations that illustrate his pianistic virtuosity between 1790 and 1809. The concertos were captured at the Rathausprunksaal, Landshut in January 2022.