Paul Lewis and Beethoven. Over the last five years, the pianist's name has become synonymous with the composer's in a way that only the most attentive and X-ray-sensitive interpreters achieve: Casals and Bach, Glenn Gould and the Goldberg Variations, Bernstein and Mahler. Most pianists take a "fools rush in" approach with the works of Beethoven, but Lewis, somehow, managed this herculean feat all before the age of 40. His recording of Beethoven's complete piano sonatas was one of the most ambitious and acclaimed cycles in years. It was the kind of "inside-the-notes" interpretation that yields true revelations: Past the marks on the page, past the intellectual and physical acrobatics required to internalize the piece, Lewis gave luminous performances in which every keystroke was a complete thought.

Now, Lewis has returned with a cycle of Beethoven's piano concertos, and his touch is as deft and serious in these more grandstanding works as they were in the more inward-directed sonatas. Somehow, he makes the galloping runs in the first movement of the C Major weightless without robbing them of heroism; instead of clomping or pounding, they flicker like candles in a breeze. The famous piano entrance of Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto (No. 5) often… read more »