Beethoven & Lachenmann: Piano Works Moritz Winkelmann

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109:
• 1 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109: I. Vivace, ma non troppo - Adagio espressivo 03:55
• 2 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109: II. Prestissimo 02:25
• 3 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109: III. Gesangvoll, mit innigster Empfindung, Andante molto cantabile ed espressivo 13:02
• Helmut Lachenmann (b. 1935): Wiegenmusik:
• 4 Lachenmann: Wiegenmusik 04:11
• Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110:
• 5 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110: I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo 06:43
• 6 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110: II. Allegro molto 02:13
• 7 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-Flat Major, Op. 110: III. Adagio ma non troppo - Fuga. Allegro ma non troppo 10:46
• Lachenmann: Marche fatale (Version for Piano):
• 8 Lachenmann: Marche fatale (Version for Piano) 05:39
• Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111:
• 9 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111: I. Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato 09:22
• 10 Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, Op. 111: II. Arietta. Adagio molto semplice e cantabile 18:41
• Total Runtime 01:16:57

Info for Beethoven & Lachenmann: Piano Works

The hours I spent learning Beethoven‘s last three sonatas were among the most cherished of my life. They were filled with the exhilaration of being in the presence of something magnificent, something truly meaningful. Over the years, these sonatas have become my intimate companions – a continuous source of learning and an always sympathetic yet mercilessly honest corrective for me… I learned Helmut Lachenmann‘s Wiegenmusik (Cradle Music) as a teenager, around the same time I actually met him at my grandfather‘s home. As a young man, Helmut had been a member of my grandfather‘s choir. I will never forget the impression his warm and friendly manner had on me. The Wiegenmusik was my first profound experience with Helmut‘s music... Much later, in preparation for a joint concert in which I played solo four of his works for piano, Helmut, in his unique way, introduced me to his works and invited me to “listen” – to listen to everything that is acoustically perceptible, to hear the attack of the key and its consequence, and to open up myself more to the beauty of tones, beyond the so-called limits; and ultimately not just with his music, but with all music. This juxtaposition of Beethoven and Lachenmann explores the interaction between the works – the field of tension opened up by their proximity. Without alienating the individual masterpiece, a new listening context emerges. The symbiosis of their auras allows us to experience anew what we have become accustomed to. I dedicate this album to my grandfather Gerhard Wilhelm, who dreamed of living life as a pianist like I do now – as a child of a generation that, unlike his, did not have to experience war. Let us hope that this does not change. Both Beethoven and Lachenmann will help in this endeavor. (Moritz Winkelmann)

Moritz Winkelmann, piano

Moritz Winkelmann
is a Prize Winner at the International Beethoven Competition Bonn and one of the most expressive and remarkable pianists of his generation. On his permanent journey unveiling „the core inside a piece, that holds it together“, he is performing around the globe and his musicianship has been described as „powerful, capable of the most profound sincerity“ and „full of soul“.

Mr. Winkelmann has established a strong reputation for his Beethoven interpretations. His recording of the Three Last Sonatas op.109 – op.111 as well as Wiegenmusik (1963) and Marche fatale (2017) by Helmut Lachenmann will be released on Hänssler Classic in 2022.

Most recently, Moritz Winkelmann appeared in Tchaikovsky’s piano concerto no. 1 with the TfN Philharmonic and in the second piano concerto by Frédéric Chopin with the Kurpfalz Chamber Orchestra.

He has performed with the Beethoven Orchester Bonn, the New York Classical Players, the Lower Saxony State Orchestra, the Cologne Chamber Orchestra and the Peabody Symphony among others. Of his appearance with the Lower Saxony State Orchestra, the Hildesheimer Allgemeine Zeitung wrote that “the musical intensity of this extraordinary artist turned Liszt‘s piano concerto no. 2 into a first class thriller.”

In 2010, Moritz Winkelmann made his Carnegie Hall debut in New York and has since been reinvited regularly. He has undertaken tours of Europe, the United States, China and Japan and appeared at the prestigious Rheingau, Schwetzingen, Schleswig-Holstein and Ravinia festivals. Mr. Winkelmann has also performed at Music@Menlo in California, Rockenhausen Festival for New Music, and Fejøs Festival in Denmark. He has shared the stage with Itzhak Perlman, Wolfram Christ, Stefan Blunier and Helmut Lachenmann.

His media appearances include broadcasts on WFMT Chicago, WBJC Baltimore, SWR and WDR in Germany as well as DR2 Copenhagen. Additionally, a documentary featuring Mr. Winkelmann was produced and broadcast by German National Television ZDFneo.

Moritz Winkelmann began his piano studies under the tutelage of his grandfather Gerhard Wilhelm. He earned his undergraduate degree with Prof. Michael Hauber at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim. With the support of DAAD, the Baden-Württemberg Foundation of Arts, and the German National Academic Foundation, Moritz Winkelmann continued his studies with the legendary Leon Fleisher at the Peabody Conservatory of Music in Baltimore. Also Ferenc Rados and Marisa Somma have provided meaningful artistic advice to Mr. Winkelmann.

Mr. Winkelmann is a faculty member at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Mannheim. He has previously served on the faculties of the University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart and the Konservatorium Bern. In addition to that, he gives masterclasses internationally. Since 2019, he is Artistic Director of Klassik im Klösterle Weil der Stadt.

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