Elly Ney, piano
Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra
conducted by Willem van Hoogstraten

This great project from Colosseum is an invaluable resource, not only for “hunters and gatherers” of lost musical treasures or for nostalgic connoisseurs and amateurs who were lucky enough to be present at one of Elly Ney’s unforgettable live performances. Her awareness of an individual mission, carried by high idealism, and her very personal view of the masters of classicism and the romantic movement have the power, as is becoming increasingly apparent, to speak also to younger generations who, in their search for guiding examples, are not content with the “dish of the day” but wish to take a longer view.

“It is worth knowing about special interpretations of this kind, which draw their strength from the wisdom of old age and a clearly unlimited sense of the poetic element of music.” – thus wrote the eminent Luxembourg magazine pizzicato in its review of the Nuremberg productions, which after careful restoration work are more than just presentable. Towering recorded performances like that of the fifth piano concerto or the effervescently dramatic Appassionata, which despite their highly personal expression are never over-intellectualised, are high points of an historical era that is only now experiencing its renascence.

Track listing

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Piano Concerto no. 5 in E flat major, op. 73 “Emperor”
[1] I Allegro 21:15
[2] II Adagio un poco mosso 8:42
[3] III Rondo (Allegro) 10:41

Sonata No. 23 in F minor, op. 57 “Appassionata”
[4] I Allegro assai 10:04
[5] II Andante con moto 7:08
[6] III Allegro ma non troppo – Presto 8.31

TT: 66:38