A Journey with Beethoven Naruhiko Kawaguchi

• Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): 11 Bagatelles, Op. 119:
• 1 Beethoven: 11 Bagatelles, Op. 119: No. 9, Vivace moderato 01:08
• Prelude for Piano, WoO 55:
• 2 Beethoven: Prelude for Piano, WoO 55 02:51
• Presto in C Minor, WoO 52:
• 3 Beethoven: Presto in C Minor, WoO 52 04:08
• Allegretto quasi Andante, WoO 61a:
• 4 Beethoven: Allegretto quasi Andante, WoO 61a 00:35
• 2 Rondos, Op. 51:
• 5 Beethoven: 2 Rondos, Op. 51: No. 2, Andante cantabile e grazioso 09:37
• Rondo a Capriccio, Op. 129 "Rage over a Lost Penny":
• 6 Beethoven: Rondo a Capriccio, Op. 129 "Rage over a Lost Penny" 06:22
• Piano Sonata in C Major, WoO 51:
• 7 Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C Major, WoO 51: I. Allegro 04:54
• 8 Beethoven: Piano Sonata in C Major, WoO 51: II. Adagio (Completed by Ferdinand Ries) 02:49
• Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus, Op. 43, Act I Scene 3:
• 9 Beethoven: Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus, Op. 43, Act I Scene 3: Allegro vivace (Version for Piano) 01:50
• Six Ecossaises, WoO 83:
• 10 Beethoven: Six Ecossaises, WoO 83 02:25
• 11 Bagatelles, Op. 119:
• 11 Beethoven: 11 Bagatelles, Op. 119: No. 1, Allegretto 03:01
• Polonaise in C Major, Op. 89:
• 12 Beethoven: Polonaise in C Major, Op. 89 06:05
• Fantasia in G Minor, Op. 77:
• 13 Beethoven: Fantasia in G Minor, Op. 77 09:50
• Geistliche Lieder von Gellert, S. 467 (After Beethoven, Op. 48):
• 14 Beethoven: Geistliche Lieder von Gellert, S. 467 (After Beethoven, Op. 48): II. Bitten 01:53
• Symphony No. 7, Op. 92:
• 15 Beethoven: Symphony No. 7, Op. 92: II. Allegretto (Arr. for Piano by Friedrich Kalkbrenner) 08:04
• Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor, WoO 59 "Für Elise":
• 16 Beethoven: Bagatelle No. 25 in A Minor, WoO 59 "Für Elise" 03:57
• Total Runtime 01:09:29

Info for A Journey with Beethoven

Naruhiko Kawaguchi’s A Journey with Beethoven presents a thoughtfully curated selection of shorter piano works and arrangements that reveal the composer’s diverse character beyond the sonatas. Performed on three historical fortepianos from the Finchcocks Collection, the programme traces a musical and emotional path through bagatelles, rondos, dances, transcriptions and the Fantasy in G minor, alongside a rarely heard 1822 revision of Für Elise. The recording highlights the evolving sound world of Beethoven’s era while showcasing varied expressive styles, from wit and lyricism to introspection. Through historically informed performance, Kawaguchi offers a fresh perspective on familiar and lesser-known repertoire within a cohesive artistic narrative.

Naruhiko Kawaguchi, pianoforte

Naruhiko Kawaguchi
was born in Morioka, the capital of Iwate prefecture, and grew up in Yokohama, Japan. He is the prizewinner of several competitions from competitions all over the world: The International Competition Musica Antiqua Bruges 2016, the 1st Rome Fortepiano International Competition (Premio Muzio Clementi ), the Geelvinck Fortepiano Concours 2015 (Amsterdam), Stanley Hoogland Square Piano Award 2016 and the 27th International Competition for Early Music in Yamanashi (Japan), to name but a few. He has performed fortepiano recitals in Wunderkammer of Trieste 2013 (Italy) and Maggio Musicale Fiorentino 2016, Festival Oude Muyiek Utrecht and so on. Naruhiko has a special interest in Spanish music, performing a program entitled “From the time of Goya” in Tokyo in 2014 with works of Spanish composers from the classical period. He continues to be an advocate for this special repertoire on the fortepiano.

He is also active in ensemble playing with singers and various instrumentalists. In 2016, he premiered the second edition of "Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano" by F. Poulenc with Saxton Rose (bassoon), and Nicholas Daniel (oboe) in U.S.A. o.a.. He can be heard on the CD "Ballad for the Earth" with the harmonia ensemble on the Brain Music label, and his first solo recording of works by J. L. Dussek was released by Brilliant Classics in 2015. His second solo CD of works bz F. Schubert will be released from Fuga Libera in coming September. And his recording of Bartok's "Sonata for two pianos and percussion" will be released from his own label, MUSIS in 2018.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in musicology from the Tokyo University of the Arts (Tokyo-Geidai) as well as a Master's degree in Early Music from the same university, where he won the Acanthus Prize in 2015. And he holds a Master's degree in Early Music from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, where he graduated in 2017 with "cum laude". He has studied fortepiano with Kikuko Ogura, Christine Schornsheim and Richard Egarr, harpsichord with Asami Hirosawa, and modern piano with Seizo Azuma, and clavichord with Menno van Delft.

Booklet for A Journey with Beethoven