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BIS

A La Russe / Kantorow

$21.99 Only 3 left

Details

Composer
RACHMANINOV STRAVINSKY
Artist
Alexandre Kantorow
Format
SACD
Label
BIS
Released
May 05, 2017
Catalog #
BIS-2150
UPC
7318599921501

About

Alexandre Kantorow released his first album for BIS in 2016, performing Liszt's piano concertos to critical acclaim: "I'm here to tell you that Alexandre Kantorow is Liszt reincarnated" wrote one impressive reviewer, in Fanfare Magazine. Not yet 20 years old, the French pianist and son of violinist and conductor Jean-Jacques Kantorow now explores his Russian roots, in a recital that opens with Rachmaninov's weighty First Piano Sonata, inspired by Goethe's play Faust, and its three main characters, the scholar Faust, his beloved Gretchen and Mephistopheles, the Devil's emissary. The nostalgic intimacy of Méditation and Passé Iointain, from Tchaikovsky's Op. 72 collection, offers respite from the drama, but tension returns with Guido Agosti's virtuosic piano arrangement of three extracts from Stravinsky's Firebird. Kantorow closes his Russian recital with Mily balakirev's "oriental fantasy" Islamey, one of the iconic works of the piano literature. Fiendishly difficult, the piece famously inspired Ravel to write something that would be even harder to play (his gaspard de la nuit). A committed Russian nationalist, Balakirev himself found the inspiration for Islamey during a journey to the Caucasus when he was introduced to the local music tradition.

Tracklist 10 tracks

  1. 1 I. Allegro moderato 15:16
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro moderato
    Duration
    15:16
    Composer
    Sergei Rachmaninoff
    Performer
    Alexandre Kantorow
  2. 2 II. Lento 09:29
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Lento
    Duration
    09:29
    Composer
    Sergei Rachmaninoff
    Performer
    Alexandre Kantorow
  3. 3 III. Allegro molto 14:01
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Allegro molto
    Duration
    14:01
    Composer
    Sergei Rachmaninoff
    Performer
    Alexandre Kantorow
  4. 4 No. 5. Méditation 05:09
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 5. Méditation
    Duration
    05:09
    Composer
    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
    Performer
    Alexandre Kantorow
  5. 5 No. 17. Passé lointain 04:20
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 17. Passé lointain
    Duration
    04:20
    Composer
    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
    Performer
    Alexandre Kantorow
  6. 6 II. Dance infernal du roi Kastchei 04:44
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Dance infernal du roi Kastchei
    Duration
    04:44
    Composer
    Igor Stravinsky
    Performer
    Alexandre Kantorow
  7. 7 VI. Berceuse (Lullaby) 04:03
    Track
    7
    Title
    VI. Berceuse (Lullaby)
    Duration
    04:03
    Composer
    Igor Stravinsky
    Performer
    Alexandre Kantorow
  8. 8 VII. Finale 03:24
    Track
    8
    Title
    VII. Finale
    Duration
    03:24
    Composer
    Igor Stravinsky
    Performer
    Alexandre Kantorow
  9. 9 2 Pieces, Op. 1: No. 1. Scherzo à la russe 06:38
    Track
    9
    Title
    2 Pieces, Op. 1: No. 1. Scherzo à la russe
    Duration
    06:38
    Composer
    Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
    Performer
    Alexandre Kantorow
  10. 10 Islamey, Op. 18 08:16
    Track
    10
    Title
    Islamey, Op. 18
    Duration
    08:16
    Composer
    Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev
    Performer
    Alexandre Kantorow