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Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy; Impromptus / Viviana Sofronitsky

CAvi-music

Available as CD

$19.99

Apr 10, 2012

I greatly enjoyed Viviana Sofronitsky’s Mozart piano concertos (see review), and still dip into it on a fairly regular basis – always a positive sign that good first impressions have held up over the longer term. This Schubert recording uses an instrument by the same maker, with a fortepiano modelled on one by Conrad Graf (1819) built by Paul MacNulty. The remarkable variety of colours and textures available from this instrument is fully explored by Sofronitsky in the Wanderer Fantasie. From it she coaxes exquisitely delicate music-box soft moments, muffled tones and the kind of sharply observed dynamic drama which can become a little monotonous on a modern piano.

Melvyn Tan set the standard for fortepiano recordings in past decades, and his Virgin Veritas two disc survey of Schubert’s music, which includes the Impromptus D935 and D899, is still very much worth having. The EMI recording is a little gentler than the Avi-Music balance, with more distance between the listener and the instrument. Tan is more romantic in approach, allowing for more rubato and sustain where Sofronitsky is more direct. The first Impromptu D899 is a typical example, in which the articulation of the notes seems as important as the shaping of melodic lines and phrases to Sofronitsky. This is a challenge in its own right: who can we say is more accurate? Do we allow for more generosity of romantic spirit in music which still feels the pull of Mozart, or do we emphasise the classical in music which expresses emotion in the deepest ways available to but stretching the style and idiom of the day. Sofronitsky by no means plays without expression, but her articulation is more angular than most versions you will probably have heard until now. I could accuse her second Impromptu D899 of being too choppy and vertical sounding. Indeed there are passages where the repetitions seem to stack up rather than moving the musical narrative along. That said, the contrast of touch and the dramatic world created also have plenty to offer. The singing melody of the third Impromptu D899 provides an illusion of a sustained line on any piano. Sofronitsky carefully and effectively paces the movement so that this works as well as possible. Even so, the balance of melody is a mote too weak against the myriad accompanying notes though still sweeping along with fine and at times touching character. The last of the D 899 set is rather magical in its opening and closing bars, the lightness of touch – I take it with soft pedal – creating an ethereal atmosphere you’re unlikely to hear anywhere else, certainly not with Tan. The music comes into focus and advances as the effect is lifted, and the progression into the minor key is all the more dramatic for this extra layer of colouration.

The comments for D899 apply to a large extent also to the Impromptus D935. Sofronitsky obtains the maximum effect from the instrument. There are many aspects of these pieces which one can discover anew when hearing it on a fortepiano as opposed to a modern concert grand. You can tell the shading of light and dark in the first of the D935 set is exactly the effect Schubert would have had in mind, though the almost skipping tempo with which the second piece opens may or may not have been what he had in mind. Sofronitsky connects this with the dance rhythms which are the origins of the work. He seeks depth of expression in its brilliant contrasts of tonality and dynamic, rather than exploring artificial profundity in languor of tempo. The disarming melody of the third in this set is perhaps presented a little too heavily for my taste, though there is a marvel of difference in some of the variations which follow. The closing dance of no. 4 is lively and full of surprises.

Saving the best until last, it is the Wanderer Fantasie which impresses me most on this recording. Viviana Sofronitsky’s performance is one which fascinates at all levels. The anticipation of hearing how certain passages will sound on the MacNulty instrument is always rewarded with refreshing and unusual sonorities and tremendous inventiveness. Being a huge fan of Schubert’s piano sonatas and lieder I’ve been less keen on this work in general, but hearing the way it can sound on fortepiano and played so expertly has revived my interest more than somewhat. Schubert’s melodramatic writing makes absolute sense with this instrument, and the at times almost orchestral sounds which emanate clearly show how Schubert anticipates later generations and names such as Wagner, Berlioz and Liszt in his exploratory harmonic relationships and thematic developments. The difference between a pp and f or ff isn’t just soft or loud here, and the change in colour and texture between different moments is hard to describe in words. Take the bass line from 1:51 to 2:10 in the second movement Adagio, which has a driven, vocal quality as the dynamic increases. I find the personality which emerges from this kind of effect quite bewitching, and the entire piece comes alive in this version.

This recording probably won’t substitute your favourite concert grand performances, but if you still perceive listening to the fortepiano as a kind of hair-shirt experience then this disc should make you think again, though it does require decent equipment to bring the best of the subtleties of colour to the fore.

-- Dominy Clements, MusicWeb International

Schubert: Wanderer Fantasy; Impromptus / Viviana Sofronitsky

$19.99
CD

CAvi-music

Apr 10, 2012

AVI 8553250

MILESTONES

MOBILE FIDELITY

Available as Vinyl

$88.99

Dec 15, 2023

The Link Between 'Round About Midnight and Kind of Blue: Milestones Is the Only Album Featuring Miles Davis' Original Sextet with John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, and More Sourced from the Original Master Tapes: Mobile Fidelity's Numbered-Edition 180g SuperVinyl LP Presents the 1958 Record in Definitive Stereo RTI-Pressed SuperVinyl LP Benefits from Virtually Nonexistent Noise Floor and Superior Groove Definition Miles Davis created just one studio album with his original sextet: Milestones. And he made every moment count. Pairing with Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Red Garland, Paul Chambers, and Philly Joe Jones, Davis not only laid the groundwork for the modalism that immediately followed but tailored a genuine modern-jazz masterwork laden with performances among the most explosive of his distinguished career. Sandwiched between the more famous 'Round About Midnight and the epochal Kind of Blue, Milestones remains a seminal work of art. Sourced from the original master tapes and pressed on dead-quiet SuperVinyl, Mobile Fidelity's numbered-edition 180g LP grants each musician their own space amid broad soundstages. Afforded the benefits of a nearly non-existent noise floor and supreme groove definition, this vinyl reissue doubles as a time machine back to the February-March 1958 recording sessions. Colors, shapes, and dimensions appear in the manner that resembles what you'd glean from behind a studio control room's window. Davis' burnished trumpet is rendered in three-dimensional perspective and seemingly coaxes the band to play with unburdened zest. Coltrane's trademark saxophone teems with lifelike tonality and images with specificity; his solos work in tandem with and against the driving rhythms. Garland's swaggering piano lines? Visualize the keys as he hits full stride, the chords and fills slithering around skeletal frameworks. Inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and selected as a 'Core Collection' record by the Penguin Guide to Jazz, Milestones is as famous for it's title track - widely considered ground zero for modalism and bolstered by Jones' hallmark 'Philly Lick' rim shot - as the players that produced it. The launching pad for many of Davis' improvisational flights, the album teases the explorations Coltrane would soon chase. Davis' own solo work broaches territories that far exceed what he had done in his bop-rooted past. Every song is a highlight. Take the bravado 'Dr. Jackle,' featuring a hot-foot pace and bebop strains, or 'Sid's Ahead,' which continues the album's blues theme while juggling edgy harmonics and inside-out structures. On 'Billy Boy,' distinguished with an arco bass solo from Chambers, Garland gets a turn in the spotlight and channels the openness practiced by one of his heroes, Ahmad Jamal. Even more instructive is the band's reading of Dizzy Gillespie's 'Two Bass Hit.' Three years removed from the version Davis and company recorded for the trumpeter's Columbia debut, this interpretation demonstrates the extent to which the group had jelled in a relatively short amount of time. Then there's 'Straight, No Chaser,' the definitive rendition of Thelonious Monk's signature piece. Coltrane's marbled playing pulls at the tune's borders, Adderley takes liberty with solos, and Davis dances around his mates, at one point quoting 'When the Saints Go Marching In' while demonstrating his knowledge of tradition and casting an eye towards the future. About that future. Garland already had one foot out the door during the Milestones sessions to the extent Davis spells him on 'Sid's Ahead.' Jones would stick around for a bit longer but soon plot his exit. History proves Davis navigated the changes with visionary aplomb. Yet the chemistry, excitement, and beauty the sextet achieves on Milestones cannot be overstated. This reissue helps put the album in proper perspective - and presents the music the fidelity it deserves. 1/4' / 15 IPS Dolby SR analog master to DSD 256 to analog console to lathe Numbered 180g 33RPM SuperVinyl LP NUMBERED SPECIAL EDITION Tracklisting: Side One: Dr. Jekyll Sid's Ahead Two Bass Hit Side Two: Milestones Billy Boy Straight, No Chaser

MILESTONES

$88.99
Vinyl

MOBILE FIDELITY

Dec 15, 2023

MOFI528.1

Vladimir Feltsman: The Complete Columbia Album Collection

Sony Masterworks

Available as CD

~~$39.98~~ $29.99

Jul 05, 2019

In summer 1987, nine years after he first requested permission to emigrate, the 35-year-old Russian pianist Vladimir Feltsman was finally allowed to leave the Soviet Union. Feltsman, who had studied at the Moscow Conservatory with the legendary Yakov Flier and won first prize at the prestigious Long-Thibaud Competition in Paris at the age of 19, arrived in New York amid a welter of publicity. CBS Masterworks offered him a recording contract, while President Ronald Reagan welcomed him to the White House for a recital that was glowingly reviewed in the New York Times.

When Feltsman made his Carnegie Hall debut two months later, the Times hailed him as “an artist of wide musical interests who on this occasion included three pieces from Messiaen’s Vingt Regards sur l’Enfant Jésusto set off more popular works by Schubert and Schumann … Mr. Feltsman took an aptly spacious and relaxed approach to the first two movements [of Schubert’s A major Sonata D 664)] … He then let loose in the more brilliant Allegro finale with an impressive display of breathtaking scales … In the Messiaen, Mr. Feltsman drew out its great, clashing sonorities and made light of its technical terrors. At the conclusion of Schumann’sSymphonic Etudes, any lingering doubts about Mr. Feltsman’s pianistic strengths or artistic instincts were blown away.”

Interest in Feltsman’s pianism had already been piqued before the pianist set foot in the New World by a performance, released by CBS in 1986, of the Chopin Preludes recorded in Moscow. “Feltsman sweeps through the 24 Preludes with genuine poetic bravura,” wrote the Los Angeles Times. “There is a daring and Romantic fire in the playing which only add to the agony of his plight.”

Now Sony Classical is reissuing that Carnegie debut recital from 1987, a Russian Chopin recording that preceded it and an even earlier Schubert recital, from Paris in 1978, along with all the other Feltsman performances captured by CBS mics before his collaboration with the label ended in 1989. Among them are a live Liszt recital including the B minor Sonata and a live Rachmaninoff coupling of the Third Concerto andRhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Zubin Mehta and the Israel Philharmonic: “Feltsman’s pianistic control compels admiration. He is a commanding player.” (Gramophone).

He also recorded the First and Third Tchaikovsky concertos with Washington’s National Symphony Orchestra under Mstislav Rostropovich, who, wrote Gramophone’s reviewer, “coaxes out playing of the very highest quality – rich-toned, idiomatic in inflexion, with just the right degree of thrust when required … [Feltsman’s] is a relatively laid back view of the First Concerto – no screaming in the outer movements, no flash-fingered shallowness in the central prestissimo of the slow movement. The big first movement cadenza is wonderfully fluid and continuous, and the transition into the following coda is a dream. There is much sensitive dialogue between piano and orchestra, well captured by the recording … a performance one can learn from, and the Third Concerto goes splendidly.”

Feltsman’s last CBS recording featured the first two Prokofiev Piano Concertos and ten pieces from Romeo and Juliet: “One has only to hear the refinement of colour he produces in ‘Romeo bids Juliet farewell’ … or the clarity and lightness of articulation in the First Concerto to realize that he possesses not only formidable fingers but very considerable artistry … The LSO under Michael Tilson Thomas produce excellent support … Again [in Concerto No. 2] there is splendid pianism from Feltsman and cultured playing from Tilson Thomas and the LSO.”

SET CONTENTS:

DISC 1:
Chopin: Préludes, Op. 28

DISC 2:
Schubert: Fantasy in C Major, Op. 15, D. 760 "Wanderer"
Schubert: Moments musicaux, Op. 94, D. 780

DISC 3:
Schubert: Sonata for Piano in A Major, Op. 120, D. 664
Messiaen: Vingt regards sur L'enfant-Jésus

DISC 4:
Schumann: Symphonic Études (Variations) in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 13
Rachmaninoff: Prélude in G-Sharp Minor, Op. 32, No. 12
Beethoven: 6 Variations on an Original Theme in D Major, Op. 76

DISC 5:
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3 in D Minor, Op. 30
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
Conductor: Zubin Mehta
Performer: Israel Philharmonic Orchestra

DISC 6:
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 1 in D-Flat Major, Op. 10
Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor, Op. 16 (1923 Version)
Prokofiev: 10 Pieces from Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75: No. 10, Romeo and Juliet before Parting
Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas
Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra

DISC 7:
Liszt: Sonata in B Minor
Liszt: Tre Sonetti di Petrarca
Liszt: St. Francis d'Assise: La predication aux oiseaux

DISC 8:
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor, Op. 23
Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 75: Allegro brillante
Conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich
Orchestra: National Symphony Orchestra

On Sale

Vladimir Feltsman: The Complete Columbia Album Collection

~~$39.98~~ $29.99
CD

Sony Masterworks

Jul 05, 2019

19075911432

J. C. Bach: Keyboard Sonatas Op. 5 / Susan Alexander-max

Naxos

Available as CD

~~$19.99~~ $13.99

Mar 29, 2011

These are light, charming pieces. Only one, the sixth and last, spends any time in minor keys, and three of the sonatas consist of two movements each. That said, there are more than a few fully worked out movements, structurally speaking, and the music seems ideally suited to the intimate timbre of the clavichord (sort of like a harpsichord without the sharp “twang”). Susan Alexander-Max plays very well indeed, ornamenting the music liberally but never excessively, and stroking the keys with the kind of sensitivity that produces numerous instances of those dynamic subtleties that made this instrument so popular, despite its evident limitations. She is also very attractively recorded, with an absolute minimum of mechanical noise (some clavichord recordings feature more clicking and squeaking than musical tone). Definitely worth investigating.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

---------

The decision by Naxos to record the six op. 5 sonatas of Johann Christian Bach on the clavichord is a brave one. Even more so than the harpsichord, the clavichord is likely to polarise listeners. In modern parlance its tone might be characterised as 'in-your-face' - neon strip-lighting against the natural daylight of a grand piano.

But one thing the soft action of the clavichord does ensure is a sense of intimacy, which is apt for these almost sensual sonatas. Recording quality here is generally good, despite the fact that the very nature of the mechanics of the clavichord makes its sound rather elusive. Probably for that reason it has been recorded quite closely. At least the church setting coaxes as much resonance out of the instrument as it is willing to give.

Background noise is minimal, except, strangely, in the final Sonata, where there is something very odd going on 'underneath' the recording, as it were. It’s a kind of eerily distorted feedback giving the impression of a neighbour's turned-up television set heard through a wall! Once noticed it is quite distracting, and frankly the producer needs to answer some questions.

Bach published these works in 1766 as Six Sonatas for the Harpsichord or the Fortepiano, Op. 5. These were the very first pieces published in London for the newly emergent piano, and Bach is also credited with the first piano recital in public. According to Susan Alexander-Max's liner-notes, dynamic markings, such as frequent piano and forte, indicate a distinct leaning towards the latter instrument of Bach's title. By this time he was already adopting the new square piano by manufacturers Zumpe as his keyboard instrument of preference. Pianists of the period would nevertheless still often have used a clavichord in the home for composition and practice. That is Alexander-Max's justification for performing these works on the clavichord, a 2006 model based on a 1785 instrument.

Mozart greatly admired Bach's music, and his own early works are clearly influenced by it. In fact, the young Mozart was so taken with Bach's op. 5 that he recomposed nos. 2, 3 and 4 into an early piano concerto, KV.107. The works are generally in three movements, though nos. 1 and 4 are in an old-school two. By this time Bach was well into his cosmopolitan galant period, as these elegant, nuanced works can testify. The opening theme of Sonata no.6 bears a brief but striking resemblance to the famous Russian folksong, "Dark Eyes". By the end of the movement it has morphed into a melancholy Neapolitan-like song of love lost. By this time the bizarre background noise is all too evident.

Alexander-Max's technique is superb on this unforgiving instrument, and she extracts considerable expressiveness from it in the service of Bach's suave, sophisticated music. 74 minutes is a long time to spend listening without a break to the clavichord. In smaller sessions of, say, two sonatas a go, the unique sonorities of this instrument, coupled with the brilliance and imagination of Bach's music, make this an almost irresistible bargain - were it not for the recording quality lapse.

-- Byzantion, MusicWeb International

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J. C. Bach: Keyboard Sonatas Op. 5 / Susan Alexander-max

~~$19.99~~ $13.99
CD

Naxos

Mar 29, 2011

8570476

Dobrzyński, Kątski & Krogulski: Forgotten Pages of Polish Chamber Music, Vol. 1 / Polish Piano Trio et al.

DUX

Available as CD

$21.99

Apr 29, 2022

For years chamber music of Polish composers born in the first decades of the 19th century has been considered almost forgotten. Apart from Fryderyk Chopin’s works, and recently also by Józef Nowakowski and Stanisław Moniuszko, the output of many representatives of Polish Romanticism is known mainly from textbooks on the history of music, scientific articles, and encyclopedic entries. This album features three pieces that undoubtedly deserve an artistic renaissance and greater presence in the programs of philharmonics and concert halls. Following the history of music, it is easy to find profiles of artists whose works were appreciated only just many years after their death. At this point it is worth mentioning, e.g. Johann Sebastian Bach and Franz Schubert, today perceived as one of the greatest – in relation to all eras. Unfortunately, the output of Karol Kątski suffered an entirely opposite fate. The composer (born in 1813 in Krakow) established himself as a talented instrumentalist at an early age, performing in 1822 in the Knotz concert hall. In later years, the artist would successfully and regularly perform as a violinist, often in a duo with his talented brothers Antoni and Apolinary (he taught the latter for some time). After moving to Paris, Karol Kątski’s concert activity remained in the shadow of the fame of the younger brother, Apolinary. In the end of the 1830s, the artist devoted himself almost entirely to composing. He died in 1867 in Paris. His oeuvre includes a number of pieces, mainly chamber works.

Dobrzyński, Kątski & Krogulski: Forgotten Pages of Polish Chamber Music, Vol. 1 / Polish Piano Trio et al.

$21.99
CD

DUX

Apr 29, 2022

DUX1797

Koželuch: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 4 / Jenny Soonjin Kim

Brilliant Classics

Available as CD

~~$23.99~~ $17.99

Sep 18, 2020

Especially in his late sonatas, Leopold Kozeluch’s keyboard music belongs no less to the quickly evolving cultural landscape of late 18th- and early 19th-century Vienna than the works of Mozart, Beethoven and Schubert. It can even at times be hard to tell which composer influenced whom; Kozeluch is his own man, not gifted in the final analysis with Beethoven’s feeling for dramatic expression, Mozart’s subtlety of formal innovation or Schubert’s melodic inspiration, but sharing a portion of these qualities while bringing to the table something of his own, not least a mood of deceptive simplicity which belongs to the world of his native Bohemia. Kozeluch (1747-1818) seems to have worked with uncommon ease and fluidity, in command of all the technical possibilities of his instrument, writing in the popular galant style and testing both performer and instrument with moto perpetuo passagework, double trills, sudden contrasts and, in the minor-key sonatas, a brooding chromaticism that belongs to the most powerful expressions of Sturm und Drang. In the hands of Kozeluch, as in those of all fine composers, they produce a musical whole that seems far greater than the sum of its parts; and, as in the creations of all geniuses, there is a profundity that cannot be explained merely by description of the processes at work. Jenny Soonjin Kim is a specialist in performances of Classical-era repertoire on instruments of the period. For this recording she performs on a modern copy of an Anton Walter fortepiano from Vienna in 1795.

On Sale

Koželuch: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 4 / Jenny Soonjin Kim

~~$23.99~~ $17.99
CD

Brilliant Classics

Sep 18, 2020

BRI95980

Rendez-vous

DUX

Available as CD

$24.99

Oct 02, 2026

This album brings together works by composers closely associated with France and Paris, complemented by a reconstructed version of Mozart's unfinished sonata. The programme spans original compositions for two pianos, alternative arrangements created by the composers themselves, and a bold reimagining of Piazzolla's iconic Libertango by Aleami Piano Duo. In this innovative arrangement, the artists employ extended piano techniques, live looping, and improvisation, expanding the expressive possibilities of the two-piano medium. At the heart of the album lies the idea of encounter: the meeting of two pianos and two pianists, but also of cultures and musical traditions that inspired generations of composers-from the spiritual songs of enslaved African Americans to the passionate rhythms of Argentine tango. Despite their stylistic diversity, all the works are united by the distinctive sonority of two pianos, an ensemble capable of both orchestral grandeur and extraordinary intimacy. The rich palette of colours, vast dynamic range, and interplay between the instruments create a compelling musical dialogue throughout the recording. Aleami Piano Duo is among the most versatile young Polish piano ensembles of it's generation, performing repertoire that ranges from the classical canon to contemporary music and works influenced by jazz. This eclectic programme showcases the duo's interpretative freedom, virtuosity, and remarkable artistic synergy, offering a fresh and captivating perspective on the art of piano duo performance.

Pre-order

Rendez-vous

$24.99
CD

DUX

Oct 02, 2026

DUX2231

Bach: Keyboard Concertos No 1, 2 & 4 / Perahia, Et Al

Sony Masterworks

Available as CD

$11.99

Mar 13, 2001

After Murray Perahia's much lauded solo performances of Bach's English Suites and Goldberg Variations, Sony offers his first recording of keyboard concertos with orchestral accompaniment. As with his cycle of Mozart concertos, Perahia conducts from the keyboard, allowing him complete artistic control--and it works wonderfully here, arguably better than it did in the Mozart. You'll be struck by Perahia's ability to heighten the drama, nobility, and sheer joy of Bach's music through the unity he elicits between soloist and ensemble.

A particularly telling example of this occurs early on in the final movement of the Concerto No. 1 BWV 1052, where Perahia and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields' continuous interweaving figures vividly animate the music. Never shy when it comes to embellishment, Perahia seizes every opportunity. In harmonious juxtaposition, the ASMF accents each of his final downbeats with what seems to be just the right response. Never is there any sense of disparity (as with Gould/Bernstein or Rousset/Hogwood) or worse, excessive homogenity (Schiff/COE).

In this sense, the only other recording of these pieces that compares would be the Trevor Pinnock cycle with The English Concert. Regardless of the piano-harpsichord/original-instrument-modern-instrument differences between the two, both Pinnock and Perahia bring a similar unified dash, fluidity, and integration to their respective readings. Sony's sound is very good. Perahia's Steinway is somewhat up-front, but not overly so. The handsome, well designed booklet includes informative, trilingual notes by George Stauffer. Perahia fans need not hesitate. Others, particularly those who enjoyed Perahia's brilliant take on Bach's Goldberg Variations, would do well to take a chance on this recording as well. Highly recommended!
--John Greene, ClassicsToday.com

Bach: Keyboard Concertos No 1, 2 & 4 / Perahia, Et Al

$11.99
CD

Sony Masterworks

Mar 13, 2001

SK89245

Moszkowski: Complete Music for Solo Piano, Vol. 1 / Hobson

Toccata

Available as CD

~~$20.99~~ $10.49

May 07, 2021

Moritz Moszkowski (1854–1925) wrote a considerable quantity of piano music, but it is generally remembered today only for a single piece, ‘Étincelles’, which Horowitz enjoyed playing. The early works on this first instalment in Ian Hobson’s survey of Moszkowski’s complete music for solo piano reveal a debt to Mendelssohn and Schumann, but the craftsmanship already justifies a later remark of Paderewski’s: ‘After Chopin, Moszkowski best understands how to write for the piano, and his writing embraces the whole gamut of piano technique’.

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Moszkowski: Complete Music for Solo Piano, Vol. 1 / Hobson

~~$20.99~~ $10.49
CD

Toccata

May 07, 2021

TOCC0572

The Thurston Connection: English Music for Clarinet & Piano

Naxos

Available as CD

~~$19.99~~ $9.99

Apr 14, 2015

British music for the clarinet was hugely indebted to the elite interpreters who inspired this important repertoire. they included Frederick Thurston, who first performed three of the works on this recording. Sir Arnold Bax's sonata, much admired and imbued with Celtic folklore, is heard in a version that restores the manuscript's original phrasing. the pieces by roger Fiske and Iain Hamilton are heard in Premie. re-recordings, while Richard Rodney Bennett's duo Concertante was commissioned by the eminent soloist in this recital, Nicholas Cox.

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The Thurston Connection: English Music for Clarinet & Piano

~~$19.99~~ $9.99
CD

Naxos

Apr 14, 2015

8571357

Kozeluch: Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol 1 / Jenny Soonjin Kim

Brilliant Classics

Available as CD

$17.99

Feb 24, 2015

The start of an exciting series on Brilliant Classics: the Complete Keyboard Sonatas by Kozeluch. Leopold Kozeluch was in his time a highly regarded, even famous composer, on a par with C.P.E. Bach and even Mozart. His keyboard sonatas, although relatively modest in length, share the same qualities with those of his illustrious contemporaries: strong focus on melody and melodious figuration, vivid and brilliant accompinaments and a genuine expression of feeling, both happy and dramatic. His 50 keyboard sonatas are a true treasure trove of hidden pianistic gems.

Kozeluch: Complete Keyboard Sonatas Vol 1 / Jenny Soonjin Kim

$17.99
CD

Brilliant Classics

Feb 24, 2015

BRI94770

Kozeluch: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 3 / Soonjin Kim

Brilliant Classics

Available as CD

~~$23.99~~ $17.99

Apr 03, 2020

Leopold Koželuch (1747-1818) was a Bohemian composer-pianist who moved to Vienna in 1778, three years before Mozart settled there. The sonatas (49 in total) share qualities with the work of his teacher Dussek, and Burney’s contemporary assessment of Kozeluch’s music stands true today: ‘natural, graceful and flowing, without imitating any great model, as almost all his contemporaries have done. His modulation is natural and pleasing… His rhythm is well phrased, his accents well placed, and harmony pure.’ Volume 3 covers Sonatas Nos.17-33, written between 1785 and 1791. No less than Haydn’s work in the genre, they invent ever-new and imaginative forms. The two-movement No.18 contrasts a gentle set of variations with a dashing Allegro; the three-movement No.19 in F minor opens with a grave slow movement introducing a passionate, exploratory Allegro agitato; the A major No.20 returns to the free-spirited pastoral idiom of Kozeluch’s background, with a lilting opening Allegro, a reflective but smiling Adagio and freewheeling finale. Such variety of form and temperament continues throughout the collection. ‘Jenny Soonjin Kim plays with an almost Baroque flair well-fitting of the music… The period treatment that Kim brings to the kozeluch Koželuch sonatas gives them a crisp texture and very nearly tactile character... Kim's performance is commanding and authoritative. The sonics are superb… an inspired and inspiring collection.’ (All About Jazz, reviewing volume 1) ‘Kim’s playing is crystalline and lyrical, with exquisitely sensitive phrasing. She is an assured virtuoso who interprets Koželuch’s music beautifully. This set will interest pianists who would like to augment their repertoire with unknown gems from the period.’ (Early Music America) On this album Jenny Soonjin Kim plays a modern German copy of an Anton Walter fortepiano made in Vienna in 1795.

On Sale

Kozeluch: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 3 / Soonjin Kim

~~$23.99~~ $17.99
CD

Brilliant Classics

Apr 03, 2020

BRI95836

Kozeluch: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 2 / Kim

Brilliant Classics

Available as CD

$17.99

Oct 28, 2016

Leopold Kozeluch (1747-1818) was born in Bohemia but spent his professional life in Vienna, where he became a famous musician and composer, for a time even eclipsing Mozart’s fame. The sonatas included in this second volume have 3 or 4 movements, of the same scope as Haydn’s sonatas. They are written in the Galante Style, with easy flowing melodies, featuring a highly developed keyboard virtuosity in the abundance of scales, arpeggios, runs in thirds and sixths, repeated notes and tremolos. Jenny Soonjin Kim plays a fortepiano (Kozeluch preferred fortepianos to harpsichords). The first volume of the complete Kozeluch Sonatas was praised by the press for its spontaneity, keen sense of the style and effortless and brilliant technique.

Kozeluch: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 2 / Kim

$17.99
CD

Brilliant Classics

Oct 28, 2016

BRI95155

Cage: Works For 2 Keyboards, Vol. 1

Naxos

Available as CD

~~$19.99~~ $13.99

Oct 29, 2013

John Cage's remarkable magnum opus A Book of Music for two prepared pianos is brought together here with his complete works for toy piano. Intricately structured according to Cage's ideas about Mozart, A Book of Music is an eloquent and virtuoso mosaic of driving and sometimes frenetic rhythms, the exotic sounds of the 'prepared' piano strings transporting the listener into worlds of the strangest imagining. The Suite for Toy Piano is a modest miracle of precise expression and the first ever serious concert music written for this instrument, while Music for Amplified Toy Pianos is composed using chance elements, generating a spacious field of sound filled with surprise.

On Sale

Cage: Works For 2 Keyboards, Vol. 1

~~$19.99~~ $13.99
CD

Naxos

Oct 29, 2013

8559726

PIANO RECITAL

DUX

Available as CD

~~$21.99~~ $16.99

Feb 12, 2016

Julia Kociuban, began studying piano at age 5, eventually studying at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. Currently a student at Universität Mozarteum Salzburg, Ms. Kociuban has received awards in many competitions, including the Milosz MaginInternational Piano Competition in 2005 and Les Jeudis du Piano in 2011. A recipient of several prestigious scholarships, Ms. Kociuban has been an invited performer for the Festival de la Roque d'Antheron and the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival. She can often be seen performing with her brothers in "Family Trio" and DUOKociuban.

On Sale

PIANO RECITAL

~~$21.99~~ $16.99
CD

DUX

Feb 12, 2016

DUX1190

Tinazzoli: Complete Keyboard Works / Pierini

Brilliant Classics

Available as CD

$16.99

Apr 21, 2023

The pieces presented here are ascribed to a composer whose life appears to be both mysterious and adventurous: quite little of Agostino Tinazzoli is known, including biographical details such as his occupations, teachers and places of residence (except for limited, incomplete information). However, some unusual facts preserved through his music illustrate that this composer had no ordinary life. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians informs us that Agostino Tinazzoli was born in Bologna during the second half of the 17th century, quite possibly around 1660. Most of the works attributed to Tinazzoli concern sacred music, including various oratorios (such as Il sacrifizio di Gefte), and masses (such as an incomplete Requiem). This collection of solo keyboard music comes from two manuscripts currently preserved in Münster and Bologna. The former contains all the pieces included in the two CDs, while the latter includes Toccata No.18 and a larger version of the Toccata No.17 including all the movements performed (the Münster manuscript contains only the first movement). Four of the pieces of the collection are specified for the organ, and they are intended to be used during the Mass: there are two Offertorios, one Elevazione and a Post Agnus, and all of them are titled Sonata.

Tinazzoli assigns the terms Sonata, Toccata, and Capriccio to these pieces (except for the Passagallo), but there is seemingly no criteria for the choice of name. The collection employs a wide range of styles and formal structures: there are concerto-like pieces (Toccata No.17, Sonata no.4), as well as fugato pieces (Sonata No.11), and dance movements (for example, the Sarabanda in Sonata No.4, or the concluding Minuetto in Capriccio No.3). While we are unable to determine a precise timeframe of composition, it seems that even if the pieces may have been composed in disparate years Tinazzoli remained well informed throughout his career about the stylistic developments occurring in Italy and Europe in his day: the organ pieces, for example, adhere to the late-18th-century style, which was fundamentally more operatic. The most important feature of these pieces, however, is the pervasive employment of basso continuo: the pieces are almost constantly notated in two voices (treble and bass) but with figured bass numerals throughout. In this collection, Pierini has employed basso continuo and improvisation features in the most stylistically appropriate way, considering the wide range of styles included.

The pieces presented here are ascribed to a composer whose life appears to be both mysterious and adventurous at the same time: little of Agostino Tinazzoli (ca 1660-1725) is known, as concerns biographical details such as his living places, his teachers, and the job positions he held. However, some unusual facts preserved through his music make clear that this composer probably had no ordinary life: during his stay in Rome he probably committed, or was involved, in an unspecified crime: for this reason, he got incarcerated in Castel Sant’Angelo, Rome, which during Tinazzoli’s time was partly used as a city jail. Here he continued to compose: his cantata “In Carcere penoso” was written with carbon on the prison wall, and its beauty prompted his immediate release from jail. This collection of Tinazzoli’s keyboard music employs a wide range of styles and formal structures: we have concerto-like pieces (Toccata No.17, Sonata no. 4), as well as fugato pieces (Sonata No.11), and dance movements (the Sarabanda in Sonata No.4). The most important feature of these pieces, however, is the massive employment of basso continuo: the pieces are almost everywhere notated in two voices (treble and bass), but continuo numeration is employed everywhere. This means that the performer has to add other voices, or remove them in order to make dynamic effects, and sometimes even to improvise counterpoint, according to stylistic continuo rules in early 18th century’s Italy.

Born in Rome in 1996, Simone Pierini began studying music at the age of eight. Aged eighteen, he graduated in piano at S. Cecilia Conservatory of Music, Rome, with highest honors, and consequently took part in masterclasses and post-graduate courses. He afterwards grew interest in historically informed piano practice, attending masterclasses led by Alexei Lubimov, Andreas Staier, Tobias Koch, Stefano Fiuzzi. Subsequently, his interest about historical keyboards in general grew further, and he began studying harpsichord and basso continuo with such teachers as Andrea Coen and Giovanni Togni. He builds an active concert career.

Tinazzoli: Complete Keyboard Works / Pierini

$16.99
CD

Brilliant Classics

Apr 21, 2023

BRI96875

Koželuch: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 10

Grand Piano

Available as CD

$19.99

Sep 08, 2017

Composed between 1807 and 1809, the four sonatas in this volume of Leopold Kozeluch’s complete cycle represent his return to the genre after a period of fourteen years. Whilst aware of the influence of the resonant new English piano, the Bohemian composer explored the special effects of the Viennese instrument. The Turkish sounds in the finale of Sonata No. 41 illustrate the timbres available whilst the romantic quality of his slow introductions, not least the Largo of Sonata No. 40, reveal his command of color and texture. Kemp English is one of New Zealand’s leading concert performers. Renowned as an exuberant entertainer, he is much in demand as a solo organist, collaborative pianist and specialist fortepiano exponent, relishing the opportunity to work in a diverse array of styles and periods.

Koželuch: Complete Keyboard Sonatas, Vol. 10

$19.99
CD

Grand Piano

Sep 08, 2017

GP734

Early 19th-century Piano Music for Four Hands on the Traugott Berndt Piano (1845–1847) / Marek Toporowski and IrmIna Obonska Piano Duo

DUX

Available as CD

$21.99

Nov 19, 2021

Starting in the second half of the 18th century, keyboard (especially piano) music was a peculiar area of artistic work developed mainly for the purpose of music-making in bourgeois homes. An important part of this repertoire is comprised of transcriptions intended originally for larger ensembles; thus, the texture of works for four hands is closer to that of compositions for orchestra than for piano. The fact that the works were performed in a home environment or in a situation of master-student contact also assumes a certain intimacy manifest in the frequent crossing of the left hand of the performer playing the primo part and the right hand of the performer playing the secondo part. The aforementioned two elements are quite visible in the first masterpieces of the genre: the sonatas written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for himself and his sister Nannerl. De facto, the later 19th-cen-tury literature for four hands follows in considerable measure the trail blazed by Mozart. Of course, in many works, there is also no lack of virtuosic elements. The expansion of the piano keyboard range was also conducive to systematic and complete exploration of the freshly-gained areas of the instrument’s range. The broad four-hands texture represents a superb field for this type of procedures, as is quite visible, for example, in one of Ferdinand Ries’ polonaises. The present album presents a stylistically diverse selection of works composed in the first half of the 19th century, selected to display as fully as possible the capabilities of the piano built between 1845 and 1847 by the Traugott Berndt company, an instrument whose sound characteristics are eminently appropriate to the works being performed, despite its being of later date relative to these works.

Early 19th-century Piano Music for Four Hands on the Traugott Berndt Piano (1845–1847) / Marek Toporowski and IrmIna Obonska Piano Duo

$21.99
CD

DUX

Nov 19, 2021

DUX1749

Dukas, Saint-Saëns, Koechlin et al: Lyrical Music for Horn & Piano / Flückiger, Kolarova

Danacord

Available as CD

$18.99

Feb 03, 2023

"Although the horn has some obstacles to overcome, [...] nature seems to have intended it by and large for singing; moreover, the horn player can draw the best lessons from the school of a good singer. There he learns the art of good phrasing and proper breathing; there he purifies his taste, shapes his style, and ultimately discovers all he needs to know to capture the listener's attention, move him, and - on many occasions - stir his enthusiasm.” (JosephÉmile Meifred: Méthode pour le Cor chromatique ou à pistons, Paris 1840) Solo horn player in the Danish Royal orchestra Claudio Flückiger is here presenting what is the art of playing the horn. He is accompanied by pianist Galya Kolarova.

Dukas, Saint-Saëns, Koechlin et al: Lyrical Music for Horn & Piano / Flückiger, Kolarova

$18.99
CD

Danacord

Feb 03, 2023

DACOCD909

Koechlin: Music For 2 Pianos / Tal & Groethuysen

Sony Masterworks

Available as CD

$17.99

May 14, 2009

MUSIC FOR YOU - KOECHLIN: MUSI

Koechlin: Music For 2 Pianos / Tal & Groethuysen

$17.99
CD

Sony Masterworks

May 14, 2009

SONY89618

Shostakovich, D.: Piano Trios Nos. 1 and 2 / Juon, P.: Piano

Coviello

Available as SACD

$21.99

Apr 05, 2007

Import Hybrid-SACD pressing.

Shostakovich, D.: Piano Trios Nos. 1 and 2 / Juon, P.: Piano

$21.99
SACD

Coviello

Apr 05, 2007

COV50502

Kozeluch: Cantata for the Coronation of Leopold II / Stilec, Prague Symphony

Naxos

Available as CD

~~$19.99~~ $9.99

Apr 13, 2018

This album is the second release in the Naxos Czech Music Masters from Vienna series, and features the world premiere recording of Kozeluch’s magnificent coronation cantata. The coronation of Leopold II in Prague in 1791 came at a difficult time for European monarchs, although Leopold himself enjoyed a reputation as an enlightened ruler. Two musical works were commissioned for the occasion: Mozart’s opera ‘La clemenza di Tito’ and Kozeluch’s cantata ‘Heil dem Monarchen.’ The cantata, by turns celebratory, serene and darkly dramatic, was well-received and enhanced Kozeluch’s reputation in royal circles. It almost certainly played a part in his appointment in 1792 to the court of Leopold’s son and successor, the last Holy Roman Emperor Franz II.

On Sale

Kozeluch: Cantata for the Coronation of Leopold II / Stilec, Prague Symphony

~~$19.99~~ $9.99
CD

Naxos

Apr 13, 2018

8573787

Anthology of American Piano Music, Vol. 4: George Gershwin Complete Works for Piano & Orchestra / Licad

Danacord

Available as CD

$18.99

Apr 03, 2020

The Anthology of American Piano Music is designed to show the stylistic breadth, high musical quality and great originality of the best American piano works. While the preceding three volumes presented works for solo piano by multiple composers related to one theme (Vol. 1, "American First Sonatas"; Vol. 2, "Music of the Night - American Nocturnes"; Vol. 3, "American Landscapes"), Vol. 4 is dedicated to one composer, presenting the complete works for piano and orchestra by George Gershwin. Vol. 5, a theme CD focusing on "American Dances", is currently in preparation.

Anthology of American Piano Music, Vol. 4: George Gershwin Complete Works for Piano & Orchestra / Licad

$18.99
CD

Danacord

Apr 03, 2020

DACOCD869

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3, Corelli Variations & Pia

Oehms Classics

Available as CD

$19.99

Sep 14, 2018

With Michael Korstick, OehmsClassics has released about fifteen albums, including a set with Beethoven sonatas which was applauded on all sides. With his first Rachmaninoff recording he once more demonstrates his inspired ability to empathize completely with the composer in question. The Janacek Philharmonic Ostrava under Dmitry Liss proves an excellent accompanist. This album is completed by the Corelli Variations, recorded in February 2018, and the Piano Sonata No. 2, recorded much earlier. Michael Korstick was born in Cologne, Germany in 1955. He studied with Hans Leygraf and Tatiana Nikolayeva and completed his professional training at The Juilliard School in New York where he was a scholarship student of Sascha Gorodnitzki for seven years. A prizewinner in many prestigious international competitions, Korstick is concertizing in major venues around the globe with a repertoire including 130 works for piano and orchestra. More than 50 award-winning albums have earned him a reputation as one of Germany's leading pianists.

Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 3, Corelli Variations & Pia

$19.99
CD

Oehms Classics

Sep 14, 2018

OC1896

The Long 17th Century: A Cornucopia of Early Keyboard Music / Pienaar

Avie Records

Available as CD

~~$26.99~~ $20.99

Feb 07, 2020

The ever-inquisitive pianist Daniel-Ben Pienaar presents The Long 17th Century: A Cornucopia of Early Keyboard Music. The Long 17th Century refers to the period from the late 1500s to the early 1700s, an era noted for forward-thinking individuality and invention in all areas of life. This two-and-a-half hour recital surveys a pan-European variety of styles, genres and techniques, and comprises 36 works, each by a different composer, many not recorded before on a modern piano. Daniel-Ben Pienaar has been critically acclaimed for his previous albums on Avie: “a gloriously multi-faceted opus maximus ... Amazing and very much worth hearing” –Der Spiegel(on Beethoven’s Complete Piano Sonatas, AV2320) “dizzying virtuosity ... fresh, spontaneous, original readings that shed new light on the keyboard player’s Bible” –BBC Music Magazine (on J. S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier, AV2299)

REVIEWS:

Have you noticed the growing trend of pianists taking up 17th-century keyboard works on the modern concert grand? Perhaps it has to do with the desire to be rebellious, or to attain a certain level of intellectual caché. Yet pianists also have valid artistic reasons to explore this repertoire. First and foremost are the sheer musical rewards. Secondly, the freedom one has in regard to phrasing, tempo, and embellishment can be liberating and creatively stimulating. For this remarkable two-disc collection, Daniel-Ben Pienaar has chosen 36 17th-century keyboard works, each by a different composer. He brilliantly reveals how a piano’s dynamic scope, timbral diversity, and sustaining capabilities can vividly and meaningfully serve this repertoire.

One noticeable example is in Tarquino Merula’s Capriccio cromatico, where the ascending legato chromatic lines and detaché counterline with repeated notes take on distinctive characters. The Weckmann D minor Canzon’s virtuosic repeated notes gain color and drama through pianistic inflection, and via Pienaar’s dapper fingerwork, of course. Terraced dynamics and half-tints of pedal evoke trumpets and winds in Gabrieli’s joyous Canzon quarta.

What bracing trills and hair-trigger scale passages Pienaar delivers throughout Muffat’s Partita IV, while serving up a more unified and colorfully contrasted reading of Buxtehude’s large-scale “La Capricciosa” Variations than most period performers manage to do. And while Pienaar allows for pockets of space or “air” between the notes in Keril’s Passacaglia, he manages to shape the sounds and silences into long-lined entities. I encourage listeners to discover their own favorite works and magic moments across this intelligently programmed, splendidly engineered, and boundlessly satisfying release.

– ClassicsToday.com (10/10; Jed Distler)

What makes it work is not just the dazzling precision and clarity of Pienaar’s finger technique (though that is certainly a vital factor), but the intelligence that has gone into his interpretations. He also communicates an individual and convincing vision for each piece, enough for every one of them to give delight.

–Gramophone (Editor's Choice; June 2020)

On Sale

The Long 17th Century: A Cornucopia of Early Keyboard Music / Pienaar

~~$26.99~~ $20.99
CD

Avie Records

Feb 07, 2020

AV2415

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