Pollini plays Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 5

Maurizio Pollini once described the conductor Karl Böhm as an "honest, noble and modest man" who continued "the legacy of great interpreters". Pollini, of course, has long embodied this legacy himself, and his joint performances with Böhm and the Wiener Philharmoniker enjoy the status of legendary interpretations. One of the highlights of the collaboration is this performance of Beethoven's Fifth – and final – Piano Concerto, the solo part of which Beethoven was prevented from playing himself in public due to his hearing loss. With its imposing and solemn first movements and the wonderfully lyrical adagio, the work is a worthy conclusion to the composer's engagement with a genre he revolutionized.

Soloist: 

Maurizio Pollini (Piano)

Ensemble: 

Wiener Philharmoniker

Conductor: 

Karl Böhm