This album is the third installment in Centaur’s cycle of the complete piano concertos of Anton Rubinstein (1829-94). +One of the great piano virtuosos of his day and a prolific composer, much of Rubinstein's musical output has long fallen out of public consciousness, only in recent decades receiving renewed performer and audience interest. +The Greece-born pianist Grigorios Zamparas is currently Associate Professor of Music, Piano, University of Tampa, FL., and an active international recitalist.

During his lifetime Anton Rubinstein gained a considerable reputation as a piano virtuoso the equal of Liszt, and for a stream of distinctive compositions, among them symphonies and operas. He was also responsible for revolutionising standards in Russian teaching and performance – yet despite his eminence many of his works have been overlooked. Le Bal, Op. 14 presents a characteristic ballroom scene in ten sections full of energy and rich sentiment. This miniature drama charts the anticipation of the dancer, a series of eventful dances and a final reflection on what has been. Warren Lee made his debut with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of six. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music in London and the Yale School of Music, he was the First Prize winner of the Stravinsky Awards International Piano Competition and the Grand Prix Ivo Pogorelich in 1995. He has performed on four continents, often in collaboration with international artists and leading orchestras. His recordings for Universal Music (Hong Kong) and Naxos have garnered favourable reviews worldwide. A Steinway Artist as well as an awardwinning composer, Warren Lee received the Ten Outstanding Young Persons Award in Hong Kong in 2012 and was elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 2015 for his contribution to the music profession. In 2017 he received the Ian Mininberg Distinguished Alumni Award from the Yale School of Music.

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REVIEW:

The playing is stunning and imaginative. Warren Lee gives a performance which sparkles in the lively numbers and is suitably thoughtful in the quieter and more reflective moments.

– MusicWeb International

These are the first recordings of the two sonatas for cello and piano and of the last trio for violin, cello and piano by the Russian romantic composer Anton Rubinstein. The works are performed by three fine musicians often playing together and giving a fully convincing performance of these rare works. On the re-issue of the original album a bonus album is included with the first release of the original master tape of the last Rubinstein trio, a large-scale work showing deep understanding of the chamber music combination from this big Russian.

The incomparable Siberian baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky — best known for his Verdi roles — is joined by rising star soprano Asmik Grigorian and other notable singers in a gripping album of Russian arias and scenes that marks his return to the operatic masterpieces of his homeland.

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REVIEW:

There is much to enjoy here. The magical opening from Prokofiev’s War and Peace finds him in terrific form, moving from dejection to hope as he overhears Natasha sing of her joy in life.

This is followed by excerpts from Tchaikovsky’s Mazeppa and Iolanta. More intriguing are two arias from Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades. Hvorostovsky, 53, made his Metropolitan Opera debut in that work in 1995 as the lovesick Prince Yeletsky, but here he takes on the role of the brash, cynical Count Tomsky, with invigorating results.

Best is the finale of The Demon by Anton Rubinstein. With its long melodic lines, the music is particularly well-suited to Hvorostovsky’s talents.

– AP (Mike Silverman)