The first recording ever on the first (and brand new) replica of Beethoven’s Erard piano in a recital performed by Tom Baghin. This release tells the story of a “French” Beethoven.

In 1803, Beethoven received a piano from Erard Frères in Paris. Why had he been so keen to own a French instrument and how did it inspire him, both as a pianist and a composer? The answer may lie in these performances on a new replica of Beethoven’s French piano, created as part of a unique research project. Placing the iconic “Waldstein” and “Appassionata” sonatas alongside equally grand pieces by two of his Parisian contemporaries, they reveal an unfamiliar French aspect to Beethoven’s genius. The album also contains works by Beethoven’s contemporaries: Louis Adam and Daniel Steibelt.

The Belgian-Canadian pianist Tom Beghin combines a career as a performer with that of a researcher and teacher. His expertise concerns historically informed performance on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century keyboards. His published work spans various media, from commercially released CDs to academic essays and books. Most recently, he has studied the significance of Beethoven’s 1803 Erard piano.

Beethoven’s other “foreign” piano, a replica of his 1817 Broadwood, was featured on Inside the Hearing Machine, a multimedia project that aims to understand the connection of the composer’s deafness with his late piano music.