Magdalena Kožená / Yefim Bronfman NOSTALGIA

 

NOSTALGIA

 

Oksana Volkova / Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra / Constantine Orbelian POISON D'AMOUR

 

POISON D'AMOUR

 

Behzod Abduraimov DEBUSSY - CHOPIN - MUSSORGSKY

 

DEBUSSY - CHOPIN - MUSSORGSKY

Piano Trio Then-Bergh – Yang – Schäfer THE SOUL OF RUSSIA

 

THE SOUL OF RUSSIA

Andreas Klein, MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition PROKOFIEFF Visions Fugitives

MUSSORGSKY - PROKOFIEFF

 

Xuefei Yang HEARTSTRINGS

HEARTSTRINGS

Valentina Lisitsa M. MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition

PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

Camerata du Léman TCHAIKOVSKY Souvenir de Florence MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition

                                                TCHAIKOVSKY - MUSSORGSKY

Vasily Petrenko / Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition

Vasily Petrenko is the Principal Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Between 1994 and 1997, Petrenko was Resident Conductor at the St Petersburg State Opera and Ballet Theatre in the Mussorgsky Memorial Theatre. During this time he gained an enormous amount of operatic experience and he now has over 30 operas in his repertoire.

Petrenko is equally at home in symphonic and operatic repertoire. On the symphonic front, he has previously worked with the City of Birmingham Symphony, Swedish Radio, Ensemble Orchestral de Paris and NDR Hanover, BBC Wales, Cadaques and Castille y Leon Orchestras in Spain.

A Russian orchestral showcase from Vasily Petrenko and the award willing Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra present a programme of Russian orchestral classics - with some surprises.

Ravel’s brilliant orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and Khachaturian’s sumptuously romantic suite from his ballet ‘Spartacus’ with its famous ‘Adagio’ keep company with Kabalevsky’s fizzing overture to his opera ‘Colas Breugnon’ and Schehedrin’s ‘Naughty Limericks plus a wistful Rachmaninov song in beautiful orchestral arrangement.

Barry Douglas TCHAIKOVSKY PLUS ONE - VOL. 1

Two of the most popular romantic Russian piano works from the mid-1870s are heard on this new album from the celebrated Barry Douglas. Lyricism lies at the heart of the twelve movements of Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Seasons’ (1875-76), commissioned by the periodical Nouvelliste to appear monthly, accompanied by poetic epigraphs. Tchaikovsky got his servant to remind him of his duty on a certain day in the month, and composed each piece in a single sitting. Each reflects characteristics of a different month, the style is simple, the mood introspective. While the poetic aspect of The Seasons was prompted by the individual musical contributions, ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ (1874) was provoked by a visit which Mussorgsky made to an exhibition of sketches and paintings by his late friend Viktor Hartmann. The technically demanding memorial, a popular genre in Russian romanticism, is here played thoughtfully and sympathetically by Barry Douglas.

Hai-Kyung Suh SOUND PAINTINGS

“The piano becomes part of my body to express all my passion and love which I feel for music. Through my hands, the Steinway speaks to the audience with its own beautiful voice.” (Hai-Kyung Suh)

"A propulsive exciting performance built block by sonic block with the structural command of a musical architect." (The New York Times)

"Her obvious deep involvement in the work infuses it with a freshness and electric energy which has earned her high praise." (London Times)

"An impressive performance by Hai"Kyung Suh, is firmly established in an international career She delivered the power-consuming solo part with far beyond ordinary mastery. Rachmaninoff's multifarious musical intention, from overwhelming melancholy to the rhythmical brio of Cossack ride were presented as precisely as they were vividly realized." (Berlin Morgenpost)

Fauré Quartett PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION

On 14 September 2018, the world-famous Fauré Quartet  released its album: "Pictures at an Exhibition" - a world premiere of the recording as a version for a piano quartet. This brings completely new, unheard colours and gripping drama to Mussorgski's classical work. Rachmanninov's "Études-Tableaux" also receive a new coat of paint in a brushstroke: flexible, yet dense in sound - with a unique soul and in a colourfulness with unheard facets and twists. The range extends from great turbulence to breathless calm.

The moving history of the "Pictures at an Exhibition" and "Études-Tableaux" from solo piano to orchestral work culminates in the phenomenal sound nuances of the Fauré Quartet. In the epicentre between solo piano and large orchestra, the Fauré Quartet unites the best of two worlds in this unique recording. The violinist Erika Geldsetzer, violist Sascha Frömbling, Konstantin Heidrich on cello and Dirk Mommertz on piano have been a team for over 25 years and can undoubtedly be described as the most influential piano quartet in the world. They are known for breaking new ground, are not afraid to leave the beaten track. Voilà - here you can let the "Pictures at an exhibition" and the "Études" have a completely new effect on you.

Natasha Paremski MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition HERSCH Tchaikovsky Variations

Natasha began her piano studies at the age of four with Nina Malikova at Moscow’s Andreyev School of Music. She then studied at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music before moving to New York to study with Pavlina Dokovska at Mannes College of Music, from which she graduated in 2007. Natasha made her professional debut at age nine with El Camino Youth Symphony in California. At the age of 15, she debuted with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and recorded two discs with Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra. Born in Moscow, Natasha moved to the United States at the age of eight, became a U.S. citizen shortly thereafter, and is now based in New York.

The 2017–18 season sees Natasha’s return recitals at the Wigmore Hall and Istanbul Resitalleri, as well as returns to the North Carolina, Oregon, Winnipeg, Colorado, and Columbus symphonies and her debut with Kansas City Symphony. In addition, her recording of Fred Hersch’s Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky – commissioned for her by the Gilmore Festival – will be released on the Steinway & Sons label alongside Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition.

Barry Douglas TCHAIKOVSKY PLUS ONE VOL. 1

Two of the most popular romantic Russian piano works from the mid-1870s are heard on this new album from the celebrated Barry Douglas.

Lyricism lies at the heart of the twelve movements of Tchaikovsky’s The Seasons (1875 – 76), commissioned by the periodical Nouvelliste to appear monthly, accompanied by poetic epigraphs. Tchaikovsky got his servant to remind him of his duty on a certain day in the month, and composed each piece in a single sitting. Each reflects characteristics of a different month, the style is simple, the mood introspective.

While the poetic aspect of The Seasons was prompted by the individual musical contributions, Pictures at an Exhibition (1874) was provoked by a visit which Mussorgsky made to an exhibition of sketches and paintings by his late friend Viktor Hartmann. The technically demanding memorial, a popular genre in Russian romanticism, is here played thoughtfully and sympathetically by Barry Douglas.

Blandine Waldmann MOMENTUM

The artistic concept of the new album by French pianist Blandine Waldmann is based on a specific dialogue between tradition and modernity. The dialogue is conducted in the space that spans between the programme music of the famous Pictures from the Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky, a classic form of Brahmsian variations and miniatures, and the absolute music of the Piano Sonata No. 9 by Scriabin whose thickened chromatic language is boldly heading towards the limits of tonality. Blandine Waldmann, a graduate of the Belgian Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, is a laureate of numerous international awards, a participant of many master classes, and for the entirety of her career has been performing in the worlds most famous concert halls, enchanting the listeners with excellent technique and great emotional, plenty of colors, and conscious musicality.

Russian National Orchestra / Carlo Ponti MUSSORGSKY Pictures at an Exhibition - Night on the Bare Mountain

It may seem perverse with a Russian orchestra to have the least Russian-sounding orchestration of Pictures, albeit the most inspired one. Yet Carlo Ponti, so far as he can, brings out the Russian-ness of Mussorgsky’s inspiration with each of the pictures sharply characterised and with much delicate playing in such items as “The Fair at Limoges” set against the weight of the tuttis, notably in the final “Great Gate at Kiev”. That goes with recording of extreme dynamic range, arguably too extreme for domestic comfort. The wind solos are specially impressive, as is the horn descant in the “Great Gate of Kiev”. In short, an excellent version of a much-recorded showpiece.

Night on the Bare Mountain comes in the highly unauthentic but undeniably effective Rimsky version, brilliantly played here with powerful bite. The Khovanshchina excerpts make an effective, atmospheric filler, but the disc offers rather short measure at just on an hour. The Super Audio recording adds to the impact of the performances, well engineered by Pentatone technicians trained by Philips. (Edward Greenfield / Gramophone, 6/2009)

Violaine Cochard / Édouard Ferlet PLUCKED 'N DANCE

A journey through countries, periods and styles on the theme of dance. The themes and melodies are borrowed from Spanish, Turkish, Russian, Italian, English, Hungarian and French composers, inspired by folk music and dances.  

Édouard Ferlet has used this music to compose new pieces, arranged for harpsichord and piano.There are no direct quotations here, but a thread which is woven between these well-known melodies and a new musical vocabulary. 

In each piece Violaine Cochard and Edouard Ferlet improvise freely, each with their individual ‘temperament’ and sensibility. They work on sonority, texture, the exploration of sound palettes, spatialisation, phrasing, distillation. The two artists seek to develop sonic possibilities, articulations, playing techniques and interaction between their musical personalities. A special feature is their work on pulse and tempo, with compound metres linked with the rhythms of folksongs and dances, which are often in compound time. 

Each piece is underpinned by an individual dramaturgy; the melodies are immediately appealing because they remind us of something while surprising us with jazz and contemporary arrangements.

Andreas Haefliger PERSPECTIVES 7

Since 2004, Andreas Haefliger has been devising a series of recital programmes named Perspectives, presenting them in concert and on disc. Each programme focusses on one or two Beethoven sonatas, juxtaposed with works by other composers (ranging from Mozart to Berio) which in some way or other interact with Beethoven’s music, and with each other. The seventh instalment in the series was premièred at the Edinburgh Festival in 2017, and was described by one reviewer as ‘Inspiringly commanding, thoughtful, lucid and sheerly beautiful’ (The Herald, Glasgow). 

Perspectives 7 opens with Alban Berg’s Piano Sonata, Op. 1, a highly concentrated work in which most of the music can be traced back to the two opening gestures. This is followed by Liszt’s impressionistic Légende No. 1 ‘St. Francis of Assisi: The Sermon to the Birds’, in which we seem to hear a flock of birds chirp warble and sing. At the core of the programme is Beethoven’s Op. 101 Sonata – a work which in Haefliger’s opinion points more clearly towards Schumann than any other of the composer’s sonatas. But the grand finale of this amply-filled disc (86 minutes!) is nevertheless a highly colourful and expressive performance of Mussorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition, recorded – as is the entire disc – in the exceptional acoustics of the Mozartsaal of the Vienna Konzerthaus.

Lidia Baich / Matthias Fletzberger VIOLIN IN MOTION

The Violinist Lidia Baich and Pianist Fletzberger are a successful duo with optimum tonal differentiation, phenomenal virtuosity and incredible sense of style. Together they breathe life into the great works of music literature and expand their passion with genuine arrangements.

Violinist Lidia Baich was born in St. Petersburg. At the age of eight years she won her first international competition - numerous other top-prices followed. In 1998 she won the Grand Prix d'Eurovision and was nominated European Musicians of the Year. Since then she performs in all  major concert halls around the world with the worlds best orchestras (including the New York Philharmonic, St. Petersburg Philharmonic) and conductors such as Lorin Maazel, and Vladimir Fedoseyev.

In 2002 Lorin Maazel invited her to join star-tenor Andrea Bocelli on his world tour. The following year, she took part in the ten-year anniversary of Pavarotti and Friends in Modena. In 2008 she released her first CD on the Deutsche Grammophon label. In 2009 she was the official ambassador of the Haydn year. Lidia Baich also serves as a jury member at prestigious violin competitions such as the Eurovision Competition or the Menuhin Competition.

The musical talent of the Viennese Pianist Fletzberger was discovered at the age of 5, when he was accepted as a student of the University of Music in Vienna in Violin and piano and was soon known as a piano prodigy. He won top prizes the ìBusoniî- and ìRubinsteinî-competition. His career took him to all continents as soloist playing more than 1.000 concerts in only five years - he has performed with major orchestras (including the Israel Philharmonic, Orchestre de Bordeaux) and conductors as Ferdinand Leitner, Carl Melles or Jesus Lopez Cobos.

After several years of collaboration with the world famous soprano Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, he started a second career as a conductor (Vienna Festival, Salzburg Prague State Opera, etc.). Following a ten-year time-out he decided to return to the classical music scene in 2009, when he started his comeback as a classical pianist and conductor.

In 2011 the two artists released the CD / DVD Violin in Motion on the Deutsche Grammophon label, featuring their own arrangements of symphonic ballet-music. Plans for 2014 include a new CD with late-romantic violinsonatas by Richard Strauss and Joseph Marx.

Ekaterina Mechetina SERGEI RACHMANINOV Variations on a Theme of Corelli - Piano Transcriptions

One harrowingly difficult set of variations by Rachmaninoff and a variety of his best-known transcriptions: this is not debut material for the pianistically faint-of-heart. But then, Ekaterina Mechetina is anything but faint-hearted. This collection was shrewdly chosen to emphasize some of her more spectacular qualities, and in general, it succeeds well.

Mechetina is an aggressive player and a superb technician, facts that immediately become apparent in the Corelli Variations. She plays with complete mastery of the music at any tempo, and seems especially to relish the challenge of the faster, more complex variations—such as the furious seventh, marked vivace, with its giant bell in the bass never obscuring the theme and avalanche of figurations riding above it, or the quicksilver 10th variation, with its extremely clean and even articulation. The late Romantic rhetoric of the fourth and 15th variations find her warm and committed, with a natural rubato and long-breathed phrasing. Similarly, she doesn’t lose her way in the freer passages of the 14th, cimbalom-like variation; while the arpeggiated runs that twice erupt during its length coruscate. The way the pianist plays the opening theme demonstrates yet another useful virtue, all too rare these days: the ability to perform slowly, solemnly, without any trace of nerves or need to push ahead.

Many of the same features are shown elsewhere on this release. The Bach selections are bright and cleanly articulated, with an assertive attack that the pianist softens well. Not that this is soft playing, however, but vibrant, angular, and often rich, in keeping with the personal and deliberately non-authentic nature of these piano transcriptions. I did find a couple of passages in the Gavotte hard in tone, however. It points to the one fault in Mechetina’s rendition of this music: a certain want of color. She’s certainly not steely-fingered on this recording, but tends to deploy the panoply of techniques used to control this aspect of pianism (dynamics, fingering, pedaling, etc) far more discreetly than she does the others. As a result, the Mendelssohn and Rimsky-Korsakov lack gossamer, though they have all the point, clarity, and accuracy at caffeinated tempos one could desire. Her versions of Lilacs and the Cradle Song are persuasively lyrical, but the two Kreisler numbers are just a bit too prosaic despite their virtuosity to be completely convincing. (Barry Brenesal)