This recording is the final volume in Lars Vogt’s new cycle of Beethoven’s Piano Concertos on Ondine. This recording includes Piano Concertos Nos. 2 and 4, two outstanding examples of Beethoven's writing. Conducting the Royal Northern Sinfonia from the keyboard, Vogt’s fresh interpretations of the Beethoven concertos have been widely welcomed, and recently he was nominated for Artist of the Year 2017 award by the Gramophone magazine.

Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto was, with the exception of its last movement, largely written before 1789, and therefore it predates the First Piano Concerto by several years. The work was premiered in 1795 with Beethoven debuting as piano soloist. The composer used this work as his visiting card but the work remained unpublished until 1801. This early work shows the influence of Mozart but at the same time it is a powerful evidence of Beethoven’s development as a composer towards maturity. This is manifested clearly in the beautiful slow movement of the concerto. Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto, considered by many as his best achievement in the field of the piano concerto, was first publicly premiered in Vienna in 1808 in a legendary concert together with the premieres of his Fifth and Sixth Symphonies and the Choral Fantasy. Beethoven opens this work in a revolutionary way by means of a calm dialogue between piano and orchestra. Throughout the work the piano often has a supportive role and the majority of themes are introduced by the orchestra for the pianist to develop. The second movement is also revolutionary in its form and includes some of the most dramatic music that Beethoven ever wrote - only to be contrasted by the boundless joy and freedom of the final movement.

Lars Vogt was appointed the first ever ‘Pianist in Residence’ by the Berlin Philharmonic in 2003/04 and enjoys a high profile as a soloist and chamber musician. His debut solo recording on Ondine with Bach’s Goldberg Variations (ODE12732) was released in August 2015 and has been a major critical success. Lars Vogt started his tenure as Music Director of the Royal Northern Sinfonia in September 2015.