Beethoven: Piano Concertos Nos. 5 & 0

Continuing his cycle, Boris Giltburg gives us two concertos in E-flat from very different periods in Beethoven’s life. The work of a 13-year-old, No. 0 is heard in a piano reduction, but in its naive way, it has a lot of charm and a delightful slow movement that Giltburg plays with affection. The “Emperor” (No. 5) is, of course, the real deal. Written by a 38-year-old master of his style, it is striking for its power and nobility. Everything is beautifully thought through and shaped with real poetry, and the slow movement is heavenly—all attentively supported by Petrenko and his Liverpool orchestra.