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Borenstein: Piano Works / Tra Nguyen
Grand Piano

Borenstein: Piano Works / Tra Nguyen

$19.99

Details

Composer
Nimrod Borenstein
Artist
Tra Nguyen
Format
CD
Label
Grand Piano
Released
Sep 08, 2023
Catalog #
GP851
UPC
747313985128

About

The music of Nimrod Borenstein (b. 1969) is becoming increasingly popular on concert stages worldwide and on record, with a series of high-profile commissions and performances in recent years. The two sets of Études featured on this album are inspired by the model of Chopin. Tra Nguyen is a British-Vietnamese pianist whose career has taken her to prestigious venues worldwide. Her six-volume edition of Raff’s piano music is available on Grand Piano (GP728X).

REVIEW:

Judging from this disc’s contents, Borenstein certainly knows how to write idiomatically and effectively for piano. His two books of Etudes address specific techniques, textures, styles, and moods.

I was especially taken with The Melancholic Mobile, the third piece from Reminiscences of Childhood. Here repeated phrases in the piano’s high register give way to rhythmic displacements that resemble phase shifting. Once the lower registers kick in, the music goes into scrambled Schumann mode, but eventually returns to the opening section’s simplicity. Likewise, high-register rhythmic juggling characterizes the disc’s closing Lullaby. My only quibble is that these piano works operate on similar and not very wide-ranging emotional levels, despite the composer’s unquestionable cleverness and facility.

Pianist Tra Nguyen seems to be an ideal advocate for this repertoire. She brings the three-dimensional textures to life through her masterful scaling of dynamics, astute ear for textural differentiation, and colorful pedaling. Pianists seeking technically challenging yet musically accessible contemporary repertoire that is both virtuosic and lyrical at the same time will want to check out Nimrod Borenstein, who enhances this excellently engineered disc with his own articulate and unpretentious annotations.

-- ClassicsToday.com (Jed Distler)

Tracklist 17 tracks

  1. 1 No. 1. Ostinato Étude, Op. 66, No. 1 03:09
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 1. Ostinato Étude, Op. 66, No. 1
    Duration
    03:09
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  2. 2 No. 2. Half Moon Étude, Op. 66, No. 2 03:29
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 2. Half Moon Étude, Op. 66, No. 2
    Duration
    03:29
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  3. 3 No. 3. Tango Étude, Op. 66, No. 3 02:14
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 3. Tango Étude, Op. 66, No. 3
    Duration
    02:14
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  4. 4 No. 4. Arpeggio Étude, Op. 66, No. 4 02:13
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 4. Arpeggio Étude, Op. 66, No. 4
    Duration
    02:13
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  5. 5 No. 5. Kangding Qingge Étude, Op. 66, No. 5 02:58
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 5. Kangding Qingge Étude, Op. 66, No. 5
    Duration
    02:58
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  6. 6 No. 6. Méphisto Étude, Op. 66, No. 6 05:41
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 6. Méphisto Étude, Op. 66, No. 6
    Duration
    05:41
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  7. 7 No. 7. Staccato/Legato Étude, Op. 86, No. 1 01:54
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 7. Staccato/Legato Étude, Op. 86, No. 1
    Duration
    01:54
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  8. 8 No. 8. Chords Étude, Op. 86, No. 2 04:10
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 8. Chords Étude, Op. 86, No. 2
    Duration
    04:10
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  9. 9 No. 9. Hidden Melodies Étude, Op. 86, No. 3 02:41
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 9. Hidden Melodies Étude, Op. 86, No. 3
    Duration
    02:41
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  10. 10 No. 10. Brazilian Étude, Op. 86, No. 4 01:50
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 10. Brazilian Étude, Op. 86, No. 4
    Duration
    01:50
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  11. 11 No. 11. Toccata Étude, Op. 86, No. 5 02:49
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 11. Toccata Étude, Op. 86, No. 5
    Duration
    02:49
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  12. 12 No. 12. Japanese Gardens Étude, Op. 86, No. 6 03:47
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 12. Japanese Gardens Étude, Op. 86, No. 6
    Duration
    03:47
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  13. 13 No. 1. Lucilla's Beehive 04:13
    Track
    13
    Title
    No. 1. Lucilla's Beehive
    Duration
    04:13
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  14. 14 No. 2. Uchti-Tuchti 02:05
    Track
    14
    Title
    No. 2. Uchti-Tuchti
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  15. 15 No. 3. The Melancholic Mobile 04:57
    Track
    15
    Title
    No. 3. The Melancholic Mobile
    Duration
    04:57
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  16. 16 Water Droplets in Venice, Op. 75, No. 2 02:41
    Track
    16
    Title
    Water Droplets in Venice, Op. 75, No. 2
    Duration
    02:41
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen
  17. 17 Lullaby, Op. 81a 04:47
    Track
    17
    Title
    Lullaby, Op. 81a
    Duration
    04:47
    Composer
    Nimrod Borenstein
    Performer
    Tra Nguyen