Chilly Gonzales, Sofiane Pamart and a new generation of pianists reimagine Beethoven for Deezer’s “Beethoven Recomposed”

Isobel Hambleton 5 min read

Twelve modern pianists celebrate Beethoven’s 250th anniversary by releasing stunning covers of his most famous masterpieces in a new Deezer Originals album, “Beethoven Recomposed”.

World famous pianists like Chilly Gonzales, Sofiane Pamart and Chloe Flower are celebrating Beethoven’s 250th anniversary with new interpretations of the composer’s masterpieces. Twelve performers have put their own twist on classical pieces for Deezer’s “Beethoven Recomposed”. The new album is available exclusively on global streaming service, Deezer, as part of its “Originals” series. 

Each pianist has made one of Beethoven original compositions into their own. Sofiane Pamart, one of Deezer’s top streamed classical music artists of 2020, offers a stunning performance of Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No 14 – “Moonlight.” Sofiane, who is known for “breaking the codes of elitist piano”, created a new melody that still uses Beethoven’s harmonies and chords. 

Pianist, composer and producer Chloe Flower garnered international acclaim following her 2019 performance with Cardi B at the GRAMMYs. To reimagine Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto No. 5: “Emperor” – Adagio”, Chloe added her own ‘popsical’ style to give the melody a romantic, lyrical feel. 

For his recomposition, Chilly Gonzales stripped away the original bass notes from Beethoven’s “Piano Sonata No. 15 – “Pastorale”: II. Andante”. Here’s Chilly describing his take on the masterpiece: “When I first heard this Beethoven Sonata, I thought it sounds really modern – the left hand is like a sequence. You could almost imagine it being in a slowed-down techno song, like an 80s synthesizer bass line. When I sat down to play this, I realised the bass line was getting in my way. I ended up taking away that modern-pop element and focusing instead on the melody. I thought that would become more of a challenge, to essentially take away the rhythm that’s so famous in this movement, and see what I can do with the melody as if it was a jazz ballad.”

“Beethoven Recomposed” includes the 12 original Beethoven compositions alongside the 12 new piano tracks, to help fans hear exactly how each artist gave it their own spin. The stars of “Beethoven Recomposed” are:

  1. Sofiane Pamart – “Piano Sonata No 14 – “Moonlight” 
  2. Chloe Flower – “Piano Concerto No 5: “Emperor” – Adagio” 
  3. Chilly Gonzales – “Piano Sonata No. 15 – “Pastorale”: II. Andante”  
  4. Roger Eno – “Für Elise” 
  5. Belle Chen – “Piano Concerto No.4 in G Major, Op. 58: I. Allegro moderato” 
  6. Florian Christl – “Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 13, Op. 130 – II. Presto.” 
  7. Balmorhea – “Sonata Pathétique No. 8, op. 13 – Adagio Cantabile” 
  8. Lise de la Salle – “Piano Concerto No 3 – “Largo (2nd Movement)” 
  9. Shida Shahabi – “Piano Sonata No 26 “Les Adieux”: Andante” 
  10. RIOPY – “Symphony No 7: Allegretto” 
  11. Julia Gjertsen – “Sonata No.20 in G Major, Op.49 No.2” 
  12. Carlos Cipa – “Piano Sonata No 30 op 109: Vivace” 

Each track in “Beethoven Recomposed” is also available in high fidelity sound. You’ll need a Deezer HiFi subscription to enjoy this supreme listening experience. 

The new Originals album follows the launch of Deezer’s joint “Classical Revival” music report, in association with the BPI and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The report found 18-25s now account for a third (34%) of Classical streamers worldwide – an audience that grew considerably during the pandemic.  

“Classical music has captivated listeners of all ages during this difficult time. Our new album aims to bring together all types of classical music lovers by mixing contemporary beats with traditional sounds. It’s the very first time that artists from this ‘new’ classical scene have recomposed pieces by an icon like Ludwig van Beethoven. I hope our unique take on this amazing composer can help fans celebrate his momentous 250th anniversary!” said Yannick Fage, Deezer’s Classical Music Editor.  

“Beethoven Recomposed‘‘ features 24 new and original masterpieces and is available exclusively on Deezer’s “Beethoven Channel”. New Deezer HiFi users can enjoy the album with a three month free subscription at www.deezer.com.