Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5 “Emperor” & Piano Quintet Op. 16

Long acknowledged as one of the great pianists of our time, Elisabeth Leonskaja shares her  wealth of experience of Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No 5, the ‘Emperor’, with the players of the Orchestre Français des Jeunes, aged between 16 and 25. The conductor is Danish-born Michael Schønwandt, who was the orchestra’s music director from 2021 to 2024. “It is so important to be able to pass on the great works of our repertoire,” he says, “I want the players to be able to take possession of the knowledge, the love, the demands and the depth to be found in each work.” Elisabeth Leonskaja agrees: “We feel a great responsibility, and it is a responsibility to be passed on to these young people.” Completing the album is Beethoven’s Quintet for Piano and Wind Instruments, which, like the Piano Concerto No 5, is in the key of E flat major. “It really is the supreme piano concerto,” says Leonskaja. “Nothing transcends the connection it creates between the soloist, conductor and orchestra.”