Composer Jon Batiste’s New Solo Piano Album, “Beethoven Blues”

Released on Verve Records/Interscope, the multi-GRAMMY and Oscar award winner reimagines Beethoven’s iconic works on his latest album

American musician Jon Batiste honors his classical music roots in his eighth studio album, “Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1),” which is out now on Verve Records/Interscope. 

Showcasing his interpretations of Beethoven’s most iconic works with the spirit of the blues, this album engages a broad genre spectrum and marks the first installment in Batiste’s new solo piano series project. 

The album comprises 11 tracks, including Für Elise-Batiste, Symphony No. 5 Stomp, Moonlight Sonata Blues, Dusklight Movement, Seventh Symphony Elegy, American Symphony Theme, Ode to Joyful, Fifth Symphony in Congo Square, Waldstein Wobble, Life of Ludwig, and Für Elise-Reverie.

The inspiration for “Beethoven Blues” gained traction after a 2023 interview on CNN, during which Batiste demonstrated music’s ability to transcend genres by realizing Beethoven’s Bagatelle No. 25 (“Für Elise”) with blues and gospel elements at the piano. 

The resulting response from audiences across social media helped signal Batiste that the time was right to turn this long-held album idea into a reality. 

Though Batiste has suffused interpolations of classical music into his albums, TV performances, and live shows for years, “Beethoven Blues” is the first time he is dedicating an entire album to it.

To purchase and listen to the album, click here. Limited signed editions are also available.

“For each work on the album, the starting point was one of Beethoven’s original compositions,” Batiste explained in the press release. “From there, I created something new at the piano, in real time. Spontaneous composition is a practice that’s all but lost in classical music, which can sometimes feel overly canonized. Recording this album was a deeply spiritual experience. It allowed me to honor Beethoven’s transcendent artistry while bringing his work into dialogue with my own creative journey.”

A video of Batiste performing Für Elise-Batiste can be viewed below. 

Born into a family of musicians, Batiste trained as a classical pianist at The Juilliard School, where he is now an inaugural Juilliard Creative Associate and a member of the board. His music collaborators have included Beyoncé, Prince, Herbie Hancock, Andrea Bocelli, Hilary Hahn, Lang Lang, Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Daniel Bernard Romain, and Chris Thile. 

Batiste returned to his classical roots in the 2021/22 season, when he curated a multi-concert “Perspectives” series at Carnegie Hall, where he is also on the Board of Trustees as an Artist Trustee.

His acclaimed work American Symphony (2022) was commissioned by  Carnegie Hall and was the subject of the 2023 documentary American Symphony, released by Netflix in partnership with Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions to chronicle Batiste’s life during his composition of the work. In collaboration with Dan Wilson, Batiste wrote and produced the song “It Never Went Away,” from the film, which earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. 

Additionally, Batiste’s 2021 album “We Are” made GRAMMY history, receiving 11 nominations in seven different categories, and going on to win “Album of the Year” and four more. His successes also include scoring the Disney/Pixar film Soul, which won him an Academy Award for Best Original Score, as well as Golden Globe, BAFTA, NAACP Image, and Critic’s Choice awards. 

In early 2025, he will make his debut on the UK TV show The Piano, following Lang Lang as mentor in the series’ third season. Other recent projects have included writing the music for Jason Reitman’s film Saturday Night.