Danish pianist Tanja Zapolski found the music she always held close to her heart. It is music to treasure, a timeless experience. All are part of a world of dreams, a kind and tender world and with music to touch our souls. The brand new recording features the Aarhus Symphony Orchestra as partner in slow movements from famous piano concerti- Chopin, Ravel and Grieg. The music spans from Bach to Pärt with the famous Spiegel in Spiegel where the brilliant cellist Toke Møldrup is heard. This is an album for the moments of beauty and calm, where everything around simply is timeless.

Classical Music

Classical Music

CHOPIN Nocturnes: Nos. 1–20. Mazurkas: Nos. 1–49; in a, “Notre Temps”; in a, “A Emile Gaillard”; in B?, op. posth.; in D, op. posth.; in C, op. posth.; in G, op. posth.; in D, op. posth. Barcarolle. Berceuse. Allegro de Concert. Piano Sonata No. 31 • Nadia Reisenberg (pn) • BRIDGE 9276, mono (4 CDs: 300:40) 1Live: New York 1947

Nadia Reisenberg was one of the great Chopin pianists of the 20th century. This statement presupposes a number of attributes on the artist’s part. Chopin was a fastidious and worldly man, who sought musical expression that was intensely refined and intricate. Despite this, his music must sound natural and interpretively effortless. It should be no surprise, therefore, that some of the great accounts of Chopin’s music are by wise old souls with a big technique, such as Nikita Magaloff and Witold Ma?cu?y?ski. Nadia Reisenberg, heard here in her 40s and 50s, similarly is a wise old soul who can do almost anything at the keyboard. She generally takes a moderate approach to tempo in Chopin, so that structurally everything holds together easily as the composer has written it in the music. Even so, Reisenberg always has time for a telling accent here and a useful rubato there, making her expression an organic part of the music. One of the most especially notable aspects of her playing is her pedaling, a truly underappreciated art in itself. In 1988 I heard Nelson Freire play Chopin’s Preludes and was mesmerized by his pedaling. The pedal even fluttered at times, as Freire gave every passage its appropriate sonic duration. Reisenberg is at least as much a master of the pedal as Freire is. She uses the pedal to provide just the right amount of color, accent, and shading to her playing. For so many young pianists, the pedal exists to create great washes of sound, thereby supposedly emphasizing their virtuosity. But Reisenberg, as an experienced chamber music player, knows how to integrate her pedaling into the total interpretation. She also realizes when to leave well enough alone and not to pedal for a notable passage, particularly in the mazurkas. Taken all together, the elements of Reisenberg’s pianism contain every facet of the art needed to yield Chopin interpretations which are striking and memorable.

Reisenberg recorded the nocturnes shortly after her husband’s death. This was a period of intense grief and stress for the pianist. A lesser artist might have used such circumstances to wallow in sentiment in her playing. Not Reisenberg; she found at this time a heightened sense of interpretive insight and coherence. Her sister, Clara Rockmore, said, “She never played anything more beautifully than those Chopin Nocturnes,” and I believe her. In the pre-electric light 19th century, these night pieces embodied a time of mystery and confided secrets, an atmosphere Reisenberg evokes completely. No. 1 proceeds with unruffled ease, like Schubert. No. 3 feels like nightfall observed from a house in the country. Reisenberg makes No. 4 truly Cantabile, with a fragile bel canto feel. She realizes an unusually singing left hand in No. 5. The B section of No. 6 possesses rare nobility. No. 7 sounds like music for the repose of the dead. No. 8 is a recollection of a time of sadness. Reisenberg interprets No. 10 as though it were a perfectly formed short story by Chekhov. No. 12 has the atmosphere of a child’s bedtime, while No. 13 is a study in almost Lisztian colors.

The second CD begins with an account of No. 15 that reminds me of two lovers seated together by candlelight. In No. 16, I think I can see a drowsy cat. A quiet conversation takes place in No. 17. No. 18 features an especially vibrant left hand. No. 19 is a real tearjerker. I feel that No. 20 is a recollection of one’s youth. Reisenberg omits No. 21, as does Nelson Freire. The recordings of the nocturnes I listen to most often are by Daniel Barenboim and Elisabeth Leonskaja, but Reisenberg accomplishes at least as much as they do. Her Barcarolle has a wonderful flexibility in mood and tempo, with an ebb and flow as the emotion builds. In the Berceuse, there is a tremendous feeling of fantasy, with kaleidoscopic colors. Stephen Hough’s timings in the Barcarolle and the Berceuse are similar to Reisenberg’s, but so much more happens in her performances. The only other recording I know of the Allegro de Concert is Claudio Arrau’s 1956 version. He tosses off the piece with considerable verve, but Reisenberg’s account is more involving. It is especially Russian in its singing tone, big sound, and rich drama—perhaps because she studied it with Leonid Nikolayev at the St. Petersburg Conservatory.

Reisenberg’s live 1947 Carnegie Hall Third Sonata is a major statement of the work. The opening movement is Maestoso in its accents and feeling of resolve, while the B section is especially wistful. There is no exposition repeat. Her Scherzo is gossamer. The Largo has a hushed intensity and achieves profundity with an apparent absence of effort. Reisenberg’s Finale is filled with pianistic fireworks. I compared her performance with two other live accounts by great Chopin exponents, Martha Argerich and Jakob Gimpel. Argerich in 1967 predictably is thrilling in the fast moments, but her interpretation lacks Reisenberg’s coherence and warmth. Gimpel in 1976 produces a rich-hued and glowing account, comparable to Reisenberg’s in impact but lacking her verve and élan. Her performance is primal in its conception.

Of the mazurkas Reisenberg said, “Maybe being Russian helped me feel the very special rhythms of these stylized dances.” They are “stylized,” like the difference between a medieval tapestry and a photograph. Reisenberg’s mazurkas generally are very earthy. These are not the mystical mazurkas of Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli. Instead, we sometimes enter the folkloric world of Dvo?ák’s tone poems, with their goblins and witches. Reisenberg’s dance rhythms jump out at you, like the marches and rags in the later orchestral works of Charles Ives. No. 2 could portray a water sprite. In No. 5, two slightly tipsy peasants dance together at a wedding. No. 10 is Risoluto but with warmth and panache. Reisenberg unravels the subtle dance rhythms of No. 13 like a cat playing with a ball of string. No. 15 goes off like firecrackers. No. 19, with its Vivace marking but in a minor key, nearly evokes Jacques Brel. No. 20 has almost a drone bass. In No. 21, we perhaps are witnessing a slightly awkward flirtation. No. 26 is Maestoso, yet swings. A kind of idealized parlor music informs No. 29. An Oriental feel imbues No. 32. No. 34 is a Vivace dance by a giant. In No. 37, Reisenberg creates an organ-like sonority. No. 40 could be a ballad in poetry. No. 45 is characterized by a subtle realization of the Animato marking in a minor key. A ghost dances through No. 47. In Chopin’s last completed work, No. 49, Reisenberg’s playing is mildly ironic, perhaps the composer’s own attitude to his impending death. As much as I enjoy Alexander Brailowsky and Alexander Uninsky’s collections of the mazurkas, my preference now is for Reisenberg’s.

The original monaural Westminster recordings have come up very well on CD. The sound is close up, yet warm and well balanced. As for the 1947 live Third Sonata, it sounds excellent for its age, a tribute perhaps to the pre-renovation acoustics of Carnegie Hall. The remastering engineer also has resisted the temptation to reduce the surface noise from the original disc master, thereby preserving a warm sonority. The album notes by Reisenberg’s son, broadcaster Robert Sherman, are insightful and elegant. I rarely get to review an album as fulfilling as Reisenberg’s Chopin. I’ve spent over 20 hours in her company, and there has not been a dull moment. This is a pianist to treasure. Nothing passes her hands that isn’t full of life and deep understanding.

FANFARE: Dave Saemann

Martha Argerich is one of the most respected and popular classical artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. This fourth volume in DOREMI's series devoted to the pianist includes previously unreleased tracks from over 50 years ago, with most items coming from the 1965 Chopin Competition in Warsaw.

Louis Lortie’s Chopin series is achieving landmark status, as confirmed by the increasingly enthusiastic reviews of progressive volumes. This fifth one sumptuously highlights the Polish influences in Chopin’s music, offering gems from among the mazurkas and polonaises. Relatively brief in duration and simple in structure, the mazurkas reveal other aspect of Chopin’s music: quirky melodies, strangely chromatic harmonies, oddly accented rhythms, irregular phrase lengths, and wildly contrasting keyboard textures. They represent a fascinating part of Chopin’s output, for audiences and pianists alike. The vigour of the polonaises featured here, including the first two to be published, confirms Chopin as a radical, yet idiomatic transformer of the genre. The Allegro de concert, which Chopin was said to have kept for his projected return to ‘a free Warsaw’, is another link to his beloved country.

"In the era of the great romantic pianists, it used to be the fashion at piano recitals to offer an improvisation in the same key as that of the piece that was scheduled to follow, in order to get the audience ‘in the mood’. To compensate for this lost art, I have thought of always playing one of the nocturnes before a major piano composition by Chopin. It makes these nocturnes appear more like an improvisation, to serve as counterweight to the very dense content of the Ballades, Scherzos, and Sonatas. This practice transfers smoothly the logic of a piano recital to a CD and makes more sense by allowing the listener to enjoy the contents in one stretch." - Louis Lortie

The immensely respected French-Canadian virtuoso Louis Lortie celebrates the Chopin anniversary with an album of Nocturnes and Scherzos for solo piano. These works stretch the pianist’s technique in every possible way. This Canadian pianist has long had an association with Chandos, and is recognized as one of the finest interpreters of Chopin. He first recorded Chopin’s Études for Chandos more than 20 years ago; it was named as one of the ‘50 great performances by superlative pianists’ by BBC Music Magazine. Since then he’s enjoyed an exceptionally rich performing and recording career. He won First Prize in the Busoni Competition in 1984. He was also a prize-winner at the Leeds Competition. He’s been named an Officer of the Order of Canada, and a Knight of the National Order of Quebec.

***** (out of 5)
The first prerequisite of great Chopin playing is arguably beauty of tone, as well as refinement and variety… Lortie is a model Chopinist: eloquent but never sentimental, elegant without ever sounding effete, dramatic but never exaggerated, harmonically luminous, structurally immaculate – and surprising.

– BBC Music Magazine

"Lortie's Chopin playing has a wonderful, penetrating directness about it; there's not a trace of dreamy indulgence in any of the nocturnes, though all their decorative tracery shines out with a sharp-cut brilliance, and the impromptus dance and divert without a trace of self-consciousness” – The Guardian

CHOPIN Ballade No. 4 in f, op. 52; Nocturne in c#, op. 27/1; Nocturne in f?, op. 48/2; Barcarolle in F#, op. 60; Impromptus: No. 1 in Ab, op. 29; No. 2 in F#, op. 36; No. 3 in G?, op. 51; No. 4 in c#, op. 66 “Fantasie-Impromptu”; Prelude in c#, op. 45; Scherzo No. 4 in E, op. 54; Grande Valse Brillante in a, op. 34/2 • Evgeni Koroliov (pn) • TACET 202 (79:46)

Ever since I first became acquainted with Evgeni Koroliov’s playing—initially of Bach and Handel and later of Prokofiev and Mozart—the pianist has always intrigued me. Perhaps it is his always interesting and always unique way of approaching the classics, but perhaps even more so, it is his engaging way of communicating through the music he chooses. And for any pianist, Chopin must always be of at least some interest, so brilliantly did the composer write for the instrument and so heartfelt is his music. From the opening of the F-Minor Ballade I could already tell that something was different here. Koroliov sees this as a story being told in the moment—a story to which he seemingly does not yet know the ending—rather than the recreation of one already told. His loose way with the rhythm initially bothered me, but when I saw how he was approaching the piece, in an almost improvisatory way, the effect became magical. The contrasts in sections were rather less jarring than in some performances: there is much more fluidity to his pacing, an almost inevitability to the succession from one section to another. Most remarkable here, though, is the way which Koroliov not only makes the piano sing, but also speak—the way he approaches each melodic line, it is almost as though the subtle changes in color, in dynamics, in slight adjustments of tempo are mimicking a protagonist’s voice. The nocturnes are similar in approach, yet different as well: the moods within the works are less varied, but they still feel improvisatory. Koroliov does not speak through them; their message must be sung. And sing they do in the pianist’s capable hands. The impromptus found in the middle of the recital are a breath of fresh air and amazingly, the way Koroliov handles them, these pieces sound the least improvisatory of all. There is an almost classical sense of pacing here: The pieces sound anew in their remarkable sense of stability in each individual moment, suggesting a knowledge of exactly where one is and to where one is going. The E-Major Scherzo brings us full circle and reveals yet a different side of both composer and performer. The mood is lighter and airier, yet the tension of the story is still there. Koroliov’s passagework sparkles, the rapid staccato chords bounce, and the middle section’s melancholic melody is simple in effect, yet aptly heart-wrenching. This is some of the finest Chopin playing that I’ve come across in years. It is not Rubinstein’s way, nor Pollini’s; Koroliov finds a way all his own. And the more one listens to him, the more convinced one becomes that this is the way this music should be played. What more can I say? Grab it and enjoy!

FANFARE: Scott Noriega

Raul Koczalski (3 January 1884, Warsaw – 24 November 1948, Poznań) was a Polish pianist who studied with Chopin's pupil Karol Mikuli and became an acclaimed Chopin interpreter of the first half of the 20th century. Koczalski's command resulted not only from his mother-tongue mastery of precisely those elements of Chopin's pianism that people most often tried to describe (yet found most elusive to master themselves), but from his understanding of musical styles and genres as Chopin understood them. In this idiomatic mode, melody is played in the cantabile style, which means not only with a lovely singing tone but also with a nineteenth-century singer's soloistic rubato, a particular kind of relationship to the accompaniment, and an operatic force of interpretation. Dance rhythms dance, even (especially) when they rush and linger, when this beat or the other is agogically accented, or when the rhythmic flow is suspended for a phantasmagoric flight or a momentary virtuosic display.

British pianist Imogen Cooper has studied with some of the finest in the piano world, including with Kathleen Long in London, with Jacques Fevrier and Yvonne Lefebure in Paris, and with Alfred Brendel, Jorg Demus and Paul Badura-Skoda in Vienna. She is widely recognized for her interpretations of Schubert and Schumann. This release follows her three very successful recordings of Schumann. For this album, Cooper has chosen some of the greatest works of Chopin. The album programme makes up an outstanding recital. Coopers virtuosity and emotional wisdom creates a new lense through which to view this frequently performed repertoire. Following this release, Imogen Cooper will embark on a world tour, performing recitals that will include the repertoire included here, and visiting several of Europe’s most prestigious venues before venturing to other continents.

This disc contains Duo-Art piano roll recordings reproduced on a modern Steinway Concert Grand Piano.

Classical Music

Also available on Blu-ray

Frederic Chopin Year 2010 coincides with the 60th anniversary of Daniel Barenboim’s stage debut, and as a pianist he has decided to devote this year to the great Romantic master of the keyboard. Chopin was born on 1 March 1810 in a small village near Warsaw, and on the eve of the 200th anniversary of this date Barenboim gave this wildly acclaimed Warsaw recital as part of an extensive European tour. The program comprised some of the composer’s best-known works, including the great B flat minor Sonata with its famous Funeral March, which sounded to many “as the composer may well have imagined it”. While Chopin used to advise his piano scholars to take singing lessons, Barenboim, as an experienced conductor of operas is most familiar with the human voice as well. With his brilliant virtuosity, he lead the audience through a most colorful program, once again proving his talent for this composer.

"After almost six decades of experience on stage, Daniel Barenboim continues to need and to seek out contact with an audience. […] Musically speaking, those contacts have always been particularly intense when Barenboim has been able to display his ability to play quietly, an ability that continues to amaze, with its feeling for a velvet touch that is neither brittle nor saccharine but always characterized by a serious, substantial beauty." -- www.klassikinfo.de

Recorded live at the Filharmonia Narodowa, Warsaw, 28 February 2010.

Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: PCM Stereo / Dolby Digital 5.1 / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 91 mins
No. of DVDs: 1 (DVD 9)

This Blu-ray Disc is only playable on Blu-ray Disc players and not compatible with standard DVD players.

Also available on standard DVD

Frederic Chopin Year 2010 coincides with the 60th anniversary of Daniel Barenboim’s stage debut, and as a pianist he has decided to devote this year to the great Romantic master of the keyboard. Chopin was born on 1 March 1810 in a small village near Warsaw, and on the eve of the 200th anniversary of this date Barenboim gave this wildly acclaimed Warsaw recital as part of an extensive European tour. The program comprised some of the composer’s best-known works, including the great B flat minor Sonata with its famous Funeral March, which sounded to many “as the composer may well have imagined it”. While Chopin used to advise his piano scholars to take singing lessons, Barenboim, as an experienced conductor of operas is most familiar with the human voice as well. With his brilliant virtuosity, he lead the audience through a most colorful program, once again proving his talent for this composer.

"After almost six decades of experience on stage, Daniel Barenboim continues to need and to seek out contact with an audience. […] Musically speaking, those contacts have always been particularly intense when Barenboim has been able to display his ability to play quietly, an ability that continues to amaze, with its feeling for a velvet touch that is neither brittle nor saccharine but always characterized by a serious, substantial beauty." -- www.klassikinfo.de

Recorded live at the Filharmonia Narodowa, Warsaw, 28 February 2010.

Picture format: 1080i Full-HD
Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS-HD Master Audio
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Running time: 91 mins
No. of Discs: 1