Jan Lisiecki explores a pair of early romantic masterpieces: Mendelssohn’s Piano Concertos in G minor and D minor, in which he is accompanied by the internationally acclaimed Orpheus Chamber Orchestra of New York.

Complemented with a selection of some of Mendelssohn’s most brilliant pieces for solo piano: the Variations sérieuses, the Rondo capriccioso and the “Venetian Boat Song” from the Songs Without Words. All three are works that mean a great deal to Lisiecki who was delighted to be able to include these works and give listeners further insight into the composer’s dazzling keyboard writing, beyond his very well-known concertos.

The twenty-three-year old Canadian chose to record the concertos with one of the world’s leading chamber ensembles, the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. This elite group of players from New York are unusual in that they rehearse and perform without a conductor.

An enthused Jan Lisiecki says about the collaboration: “That was quite amazing to see. Usually it’s the conductor and I who are listening, but here you have a group of twenty people all listening to what was just done and hearing for themselves what they will change.”

Lisiecki is opposed to the idea of albums that are essentially “collages” of the works in his repertoire, he prefers bringing together works that complement one another programmatically or in terms of their character.