The Piano Concertos
The next step
It is the logical step, to move from the beauty and grace of the solo instrument, which is in many respects the most exposed journey a performing artist can undertake, to the collaboration with an orchestra where soloist, conductor and ensemble have to play as one — provided the pianist is prepared to continue the rigours of recording, and his producer can find an orchestra and conductor willing to join him. The latter took eighteen months. Throughout this sometimes frustrating period, Robert Patterson, Head of ABC Classics, continued to introduce Sinfonia Australis and Antony Walker into our conversations. Like the name Gerard Willems some 6 years earlier, these names meant nothing to me, but Patterson finally persuaded me to talk to Antony Walker to see if a collaboration was possible.
Conductor and orchestra
The first thing that struck me about Antony Walker was his obvious passion for the music of Beethoven, and his hunger to join this landmark project. He described his young and enthusiastic orchestra, their dedication to their art and their work ethic, important ingredients if the unique demands we would confront in the recording studio were to be overcome. Fortunately, Antony and Gerard shared similar conceptions of the concertos, the conductor also displaying a healthy respect for the pianist’s profound understanding of Beethoven. Their relationship had to be, as described by Gerard Willems, "almost like a marriage". And it was. Sinfonia Australis, as I quickly learnt, is a remarkable ensemble, comprising many leading players from the SSO, ACO and Brandenburg Orchestra. Under the leadership of baroque and classical periods specialist, Anna McDonald, the thick, romantic sound often associated with these works has been replaced with a fresh, clean and crisp attack which reflects the period during which these works were written, and aligns perfectly with the fortepiano-like clarity and sound of the Stuart Piano. Yet, like the piano, the orchestra belongs to the 21st century.
The final piece in the jigsaw was the sponsorship. An ensemble of between 40 and 50 professional musicians costs a great deal, and right throughout this stage of the project, I was loyally supported by Graeme John and Stephen Walter of Australia Post who are firm believers in the need for big corporations to back artistic endeavours that reflect the country’s cultural aspirations. Together with ABC Classics and their gifted music producer, Stephen Snelleman, we recorded the concertos over five weekends between October 2002 and July 2003, juggling the schedules of fifty musicians in the process. The Beethoven recording project that commenced in 1997 has seen some of the greatest music ever written for the piano given a unique, Australian voice. The collaboration between an Australian pianist playing an Australian-designed-and-manufactured instrument, and Australian musicians conducted by a young and talented Australian has breathed new life into these famous works.
Brendan Ward
Executive Producer
November, 2003