The Beethoven Project Trio

More info will soon become available about the Beethoven Project Trio’s upcoming performances of the Beethoven Triple Concerto, one of the greatest works ever written! It will take place May 21st at the Art Institute of Chicago and May 22nd in Wheaton, IL, both with the amazing chamber orchestra Chicago Camerata under the talented baton of Maestro Drostan Hall.

Superstar filmmaker Mike Cahill, who is working on a full-length feature documentary about the Beethoven Project, has cut a preview which you can now see here!  We are still looking for financial support to continue work on the feature-length documentary; if you or someone you know may be interested, please send us an email at InternationalBeethovenProject at gmail dot com.  Any amount of help is greatly appreciated!

Let us know what you think! And don’t forget to buy a CD if you like what you see (just scroll down for the link to purchase the CD)!

“The three musicians gave committed performances throughout the evening. Mr. Lepauw played with sparkling clarity on the bright-toned Fazioli piano in elegant partnership with Ms. Lee and Ms. Warner” (The New York Times)

“Opus 63 was certainly attractive, elegant, well-played by the group, and had an entrancing scherzo. One thought most of a flirtatious aria or two from Fidelio, for this was flirtatious teasing music, the instruments virtually titillating each other with their sounds. The final Presto was played with great excitement and non-stop humor by the Beethoven Project.” (ConcertoNet.com)

Listen to New York’s WQXR radio interview with George Lepauw: WQXR.

The Beethoven Project Trio’s New York debut on May 18th was received with great acclaim!  And one week later, the group’s debut recording came out globally, and in the first week rose to #24 on the Billboard Charts! Help keep it up there by buying the CD and recommending it to your friends.

Click the image to buy the CD (all CDs purchased through our site will be signed by all three artists! The total of $23 includes tax and domestic shipping):

“Beethoven chamber music enthusiasts will rejoice in this issue. The chance to hear splendid examples of unfamiliar Beethoven, in his most frolicsome classical vein, played with great flair by three of Chicago’s finest young musicians makes this a welcome and self-recommending release.” (Chicago Tribune’s CD of the week, July 8, 2010)

“The musicians do an excellent job, laying out the scores with elegant restraint, an easy virtuosity and impeccable balance.” (Toronto Star)

“These works and performances deserve widespread attention. Cedille gives this group superb sonics, captured at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York, and overseen by the legendary Max Wilcox. The content-rich notes give the full story behind all these proceedings, and this important disc gets my highest accolades.” (Audiophile Audition)

“The newest Cedille release is truly something special, since it includes world premiere recordings of  works by Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827).  All three pieces on the program are performed with supreme mastery [...].  The booklet contains fascinating notes [...]. The results are superb.  I can’t recommend this disc highly enough for anybody interested in Beethoven or who loves chamber music and is eager to explore new repertory.  Of course, it is all early Beethoven with the heavy influences of Mozart and Haydn, but Beethoven was from the beginning an original musical thinker, and there is plenty of foreshadowing here of the giant he was to become.” (Leonard Link’s review)

“The Beethoven Project Trio are light and bright and deliver a glowing performance, with the Andante [of the Opus 63] in particular lilting and graceful.” (John Puccio in Classical Candor)

“You don’t have to be a Beethoven nut like me to realize this CD is absolutely brilliant both in composition and playing. These young musicians play with such incredible enthusiasm and wholeness. The listener can feel their pure dedication to the music. I can’t help but think dear old Ludwig is up there somewhere smiling and saying to these superbly talented musicians, “Yes, yes, that’s it! You got it! You got it!” This will be one of my favorite CDs for a very long time. And I, for one, will be anxiously awaiting more recordings from this most excellent Beethoven Project Trio.” (Southern Gal‘s review on Amazon.com)

Visit our discography page now to buy the CD!

Coming up Tuesday May 18, 2010:  Our NEW YORK CITY DEBUT at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall!!!  Click here for details.

Beethoven Project Trio New York Premiere Teaser

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Also, check out this website’s new page of films and interviews!

Beethoven Piano Trio Cycle Announcement!

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Dear Friends,

We wish you all a Happy New Year! 2010 is gearing up to be a very active one for us as we prepare many important performances and tours, our first CD release in May along with a documentary film about our project.  We are especially excited to go perform our official New York debut at Lincoln Center‘s beautifully renovated Alice Tully Hall on May 18th! We cannot wait to play for all our friends and fans on the East Coast and to give the premiere of these Beethoven pieces for the first time ever in New York City.  Visit our schedule page for more details on this concert and other performances.

Our site is in early stages of development.  It will improve steadily with the addition of information, music, pictures, short films, and more.  Please come back often and share your thoughts in the comment boxes.  You can also find us on Facebook.

Also, please visit the site of our umbrella organization, the International Beethoven Project.

We hope to see you soon!

George Lepauw, Sang Mee  Lee and Wendy Warner

Pat Byrnes' cartoon of the Beethoven Project Trio in performance