Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-Yo Ma's New Album, "Symphony No. 4 and Op. 97, 'Archduke'"

Released on Sony Classical, the new album challenges the traditional distinction between chamber music and orchestral works

Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-Yo Ma have released their new album, Symphony No. 4 and Op. 97, "Archduke," continuing their Beethoven for Three series.

The Beethoven for Three series presents Beethoven's symphonies in an arrangement for piano trios by Shai Wosner, that maintain the power of the original orchestral works. This series challenges the traditional distinction between chamber music and orchestral works, pairing Beethoven's Symphony No. 4 with the "Archduke" Trio.

The series originated in 2021 at the Tanglewood Music Festival where they first performed Beethoven's Symphony No. 2. Emanuel Ax, Leonidas Kavakos, and Yo-Yo Ma continue their musical friendship as they explore Beethoven's masterpieces and what they mean for musicians and audiences today.

“We all feel that being able to participate in a symphony is such a wonderful thing to do,” says Ma. “One of the things that has separated people since recording began is the categories that we put people in, in which chamber musicians, orchestra players, people who play concertos, people who do transcriptions, people who compose, people who conduct, are all viewed as separate categories with no overlap."

To purchase and listen to the album, click here.

In addition to the new album, the trio has released a new video of the first movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5:

The trio continues their Beethoven for Three touring and recording projects across Europe and the US while continuing their solo activities. Ax will continue his 2024 season with an extensive European tour, and Kavakos will return to China for performances with the China Philharmonic and Shanghai Symphony as well as performances throughout Asia. Ma will continue his Bach Project and touring the US.