Jon Batiste Reimagines Beethoven Compositions On New Piano Album
‘Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1)’ was inspired by Batiste’s CNN appearance.
Jon Batiste will transform some of Ludwig van Beethoven’s finest piano compositions on a new album coming this fall. On Beethoven Blues (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 1), out November 15, the Grammy-winner will interpolate Beethoven classics in solo piano works that use the blues as a jumping-off point for explorations across the genre spectrum.
The album is preceded by lead single “Für Elise-Batiste,” which expands on the CNN segment that became the genesis for the album. In October 2023, Batiste guested on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, the CNN anchor’s interview series. During the segment, he used “Für Elise” to demonstrate how music can cross genre boundaries, putting bluesy and gospel spins on the well-known Romantic-era solo piano piece.
Beethoven Blues expands on that concept. “For each work on the album, the starting point was one of Beethoven’s original compositions,” Batiste explains. “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.”
The new album represents a continuation of two throughlines from Batiste’s multifaceted career: his mastery of classical piano and his joyous subversion of those traditions. He received both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in piano from New York’s Juilliard School, and he curated a multi-concert “Perspectives” series at New York’s Carnegie Hall during the venue’s 2021-2022 season. “Perspectives” featured the world premiere of American Symphony, an piece commissioned by Carnegie Hall in which Batiste incorporated a wide range of genres into a formidable orchestral work.
Batiste, the former bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, won the Grammy for Album of the Year in 2022 for his album We Are. His most recent album, 2023’s World Music Radio, was nominated for the same award.
