"Sophisticated colourist and cerebral virtuoso though he is, Nelson Goerner nevertheless brings out the moments of weakness, the hesitations, the lightning passions in the labyrinth of Chopin," wrote Diapason on the release of the Preludes in 2015 (Diapason d’Or, Choc de Classica). ‘Serenity’, ‘balance’, ‘clarity’, ‘phrasing’ are the key words that recur in reviews of the albums and concerts of the Argentine pianist, whose fifth solo release on Alpha this is. His latest venture is a complete recording of the Nocturnes, a highpoint of Chopinesque poetry. These twenty-one miniatures accompanied Chopin over a good part of his life, for he composed them between 1827 and 1848. They are tributes to Italian bel canto, expressing reveries but also complexity of feeling and a profundity that far transcends their apparent simplicity. Nelson Goerner’s feeling for melody and tempo works wonders in these pieces, which he recorded in the ideal surroundings of the Salle de Musique of La Chaux de Fonds (Switzerland).

Life and Works: Chopin

"The Canadian pianist Richard Raymond...imbues the five posthumously published waltzes with glitter, dash, and flexibility. It's refreshing to encounter the posthumous E minor waltz at a gait less breathless than usual, and Raymond's well-timed transitions in the F major Op. 34 No. 3 should be noted. His fleet, slightly reserved A-flat Op. 64 No. 3 strikes me as a less iconoclastic replica of Rachmaninov's poker-faced account."

-- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music

In their very first recording together, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin render Frédéric Chopin’s concertos for piano and orchestra, two vibrant and poetic works that the composer wrote in his early 20s. Charles Richard-Hamelin is impressive with his extremely refined playing and the OSM, under the direction of Kent Nagano, offers wonderfully fluid performances that are charged with contagious energy. Charles Richard-Hamelin is a silver medalist and laureate of the Krystian Zimerman Prize at the 2015 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw. He stands out as one of the most important musicians of his generation. In 2014, he also won second prize at the Concours musical international de Montreal and third prize at the Seoul International Music Competition in South Korea. Charles is the recipient of the Order of Arts and Letters of Quebec and the prestigious Career Development Award offered by the Women’s Musical Club of Toronto.

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Richard-Hamelin and Nagano render both Chopin concertos with such freshness and breathtakingly lithe phrasing that they seem a virtual revelation. Highly recommended.

– Audio Visual Club of Atlanta

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Pnina Salzman, Vol. 5: Chopin (Live)

Menahem Pressler was born in 1923 in Magdeburg, Germany. In 1938 he emigrated to Israel, where he received most of his musical training. His career was launched following winning of the first prize at the Debussy International Piano Competition in San Francisco in 1946. His successful American debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy was followed by tours of North America and Europe, including performances with the New York Philharmonic, as well as Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Dallas, San Francisco, London, Paris, Brussels, Oslo and Helsinki Orchestras. Pressler is a piano professor in Indiana University in Bloomington and is a regular on juries of international piano competitions such as the Van Cliburn, Queen Elizabeth, and Arthur Rubinstein competitions. He is one of the world's most revered chamber musicians. His collaborations included many engagements with the Juilliard, Emerson, Guarneri and Cleveland String Quartets. These Chopin recordings, made c.1960, are available here for the first time on CD and digital release.