SOMM Recordings brings its major six-volume series of Franz Xaver Scharwenka’s transcriptions of Beethoven Symphonies to a close with his Ninth Symphony, the monumental “Choral” Symphony. Since the first volume, listeners have eagerly awaited each new release in the series from duo pianists, Tessa Uys and Ben Schoeman. As Ateş Orga has noted in International Piano Magazine, “What in July 2021 began as something of a curio outing has blossomed into a major recording landmark.”

Beethoven first conceived the idea of setting Schiller’s Ode to Joy to music when he was in his twenties; an early iteration of the theme in the song, Returned Love, comes from before 1795. His Choral Fantasy for piano, vocal soloists, mixed chorus, and orchestra followed in 1808, when he was thirty-eight. By the time he conducted his “Choral” Symphony no.9 in D minor in Vienna on 7 May 1824, aged fifty-four, Beethoven was completely deaf. One of the iconic images in music history is that of the soprano gently turning him around, so he could see the rapturous response from the audience that he was unable to hear. The work had broken all barriers in terms of conception, duration, compositional power, and the incorporation of voices in the finale.

The impact of the “Choral” Symphony was instantaneous and lasting. It was printed by Schott and Company within 18 months, and there were immediate demands for keyboard transcriptions. Given the forces that Beethoven employed in his Ninth Symphony, transcribing the work for piano is challenging to say the least. The German pianist and composer, Xaver Scharwenka, was a student of Theodor Kullak, who had studied with Beethoven’s pupil, Carl Czerny, thus providing Scharwenka with a singular musical line leading back to Beethoven. His duet transcriptions of all nine Beethoven Symphonies, published in 1905, still remain a touchstone for musical understanding of the cycle.

The Tessa Uys and Ben Schoeman Piano Duo began their in-concert exploration of Scharwenka’s four-hand Beethoven transcriptions in 2015. Their recording of these transcriptions for SOMM began in 2023 with volumes 1 to 5 receiving ecstatic reviews. Vol.1 (SOMMCD0637) “Utterly beguiling,” BBC Music magazine. Vol.2 (SOMMCD0650) “The performances are state-of-the-art,” BBC Music magazine. Vol.3 (SOMMCD0666) “Clarity, conviction and impressive unanimity,” Gramophone; “CD of the Week,” Sunday Times. Vol.4 (SOMMCD0677) “so musical… so Beethovenian as to defy criticism,” Musical Opinion. Vol.5 (SOMMCD0687) “remarkable ensemble synchronicity,” Jed Distler, Gramophone.

Tessa Uys and Ben Schoeman have long-established careers. Uys has been awarded the MacFarren Medal by the Royal Academy of Music, where she is an Associate, and she has an impressive reputation as a concert and broadcasting performer at major venues throughout the world. Schoeman is a Steinway artist who has performed in prestigious concert halls on several continents. Both pianists are past winners of the Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition.