It was back in the early sixties that Leonard Bernstein posed the question as to who was the boss in a concerto? The soloist or the conductor. Of course the answer varies with the performance but in the case of these magnetic performances, it was the soloist, pianist Jayson Gillham who shaped and led with conductor Nicholas Carter and the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra providing the most appropriate of support, seeming at times to breathe and articulate as one with Gillham. It has been announced that this current cycle of Beethoven’s five concerti will be recorded by ABC Classic for release and the pressure is surely on for all concerned, with each being treated to a single performance only.

Jayson Gillham. Photograph © Benjamin Ealovega

Gillham has had great success with Beethoven in competition and performance internationally, and is quickly emerging as one of the finest keyboard exponents of his generation both here and in Europe. And although he has already released the fourth concerto live in concerto with Ashkenazy and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the idea of pairing Australia’s finest up and coming pianist with our finest contemporary conductor in Nicholas Carter to...