PENTATONE releases Beethoven & Lentz, featuring Arabella Steinbacher, in April 2025
A COSMIC, ADVENTUROUS PAIRING OF VIOLIN CONCERTOS
Violinist Arabella Steinbacher, the Luxembourg Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Gimeno present violin concertos by Beethoven and Lentz. Beethoven’s violin concerto may well be the most iconic contribution to its genre, and to Steinbacher, it is the most “sacred” and sublime in the repertoire, never ceasing to reveal new perspectives. The piece is coupled with Georges Lentz’ Violin Concerto ‘ …to beam in distant heavens…’, written for Steinbacher and inspired by her virtuosity. Lentz’ concerto is equally inspired by William Blake’s poetry, as well as the idea that a future generation will one day look back on us and the way we destroy our planet. Oscillating between cosmic violence and angelic visions of love and hope, it places heavy demands on the soloist, and offers an illuminating counterpart to Beethoven’s equally searching and idealist work. Luxembourg Philharmonic and Gustavo Gimeno are the ideal partners for this cosmic, adventurous pairing.
Arabella Steinbacher is a multiple award-winner with an extensive PENTATONE discography, including Bach & Pärt (2023), Mozart’s complete violin concertos (2014 and 2021), Four Seasons (Vivaldi & Piazzolla, 2020), Mendelssohn & Tchaikovsky Violin Concertos (2015) and many others. The Luxembourg Philharmonic and Gustavo Gimeno released composer monographies of Coll (2021), Franck (2020), Rossini (2019), Debussy, Stravinsky & Mahler (all 2018) as well as Ravel, Bruckner and Shostakovich (all 2017) on PENTATONE.
“I felt a very warm atmosphere with Gustavo and the orchestra in Luxembourg from the very first day. Performing a new work together demands absolute focus from everyone involved and, of course, openness, as there can still be spontaneous changes during rehearsals. As a native Luxembourger, Georges was greatly celebrated and thanks to the fantastic musicians and the long-standing PENTATONE/Polyhymnia team, this recording was a very special experience for me.”
Arabella Steinbacher
“The Luxembourg Philharmonic is thrilled to continue its longstanding association with composer Georges Lentz. His violin concerto in the hands of Arabella Steinbacher, the artist for whom it was written, is compelling, memorable, and beautiful. And paired on this release with probably the greatest violin concerto of them all makes for wonderful listening.”
Matthew Studdert-Kennedy, Head of Artistic Planning Philharmonie
Luxembourg & Luxembourg Philharmonic
Digital Release Date: 25 APRIL 2025
Physical Release: APRIL 2025
Released as a standard CD and in digital formats for streaming and high-resolution downloads.
