Russian Piano Music vol. 13 – Sergei Rachmaninov

Name: Russian Piano Music vol. 13 - Sergei Rachmaninov
SKU: 809730515521
Availability: InStock

Price range: £8.99 through £14.99

Format

CDMP3 320KbpsFLAC 16-bit/44KHD 24-bit

Label: Divine Art
Catalogue No: DDA 25155
EAN/UPC: 809730515521
Artists: Alfonso Soldano
Composers: Sergei Rachmaninov
Release Date: February 2020
Genres: Piano
Periods: 20th Century, Romantic
Discs: 1
Total Playing Time: 79:56

The major work in this second album of Rachmaninov’s works in the Russian Piano series is the First Sonata, a pinnacle of high late Romanticism. Less well known are the Moments Musicaux but they too are masterful pieces.

Alfonso Soldano is professor of piano performance at the Giordano Conservatory in Foggia, Italy, following similar posts at Santa Cecilia Academy in Rome and in Trani. He was a student of Ciccolini and is renowned for his virtuosity. He was awarded the International Gold Medal for ‘Best Italian Artist’ in 2013 and has won many other competitions, and is also a busy writer and transcriber. His previous recordings for Divine Art, of the music of Bortkiewicz and Castelnuovo-Tedesco, received glowing reviews. His Rachmaninov (Rachmaninoff for the American readers!) is equally magical.

Track Listing

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1941)

Etude-Tableau in A minor, Op. 39 No. 2 (8:15)
Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 - No. 1 Andantino in B flat minor (8:50)
Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 - No. 2 Allegretto in E flat minor (3:49)
Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 - No. 3 Andante cantabile in B minor (4:42)
Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 - No. 4 Presto in E minor (3:32)
Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 - No. 5 Adagio sostenuto in D flat major (4:29)
Moments Musicaux, Op. 16 - No. 6 Maestoso in C major (5:52)
Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28 - I. Allegro moderato (15:38)
Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28 - II. Lento (9:34)
Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28 - III. Allegro molto (15:06

Reviews

The Chronicle Review Corner

“
[Soldano] is very good. An engaging and enjoyable collection of atmospheric piano music… it’s powerful but simple, yet emotionally engaging… pieces that create an ambience rather than having killer tunes.
” —Jeremy Condliffe

International Piano

“
ALBUM OF THE MONTH. Soldano’s daring and lack of compromise, his indifference to conventional procedure, are mesmeric…. Inimitable. This is Rachmaninov ‘through a glass darkly’, leaving you awed and shaken by such an eloquent and anguished interpreter.
” —Bryce Morrison

Fanfare

“
Rachmaninoff’s titanic First Piano Sonata is a test for any pianist; Alfonso Soldano passes convincingly. One of the more compelling versions of this sonata.
” —Richard A. Kaplan

MusicWeb International

“
This is a very fine disc. Alfonso Soldano is clearly a master; there are generally broad tempi, but always in service of Soldano’s conception. Soldano has a refined touch and makes his tempo sound right and inevitable. Terrific performance. The booklet notes are helpful, and the recorded sound is realistic, rich and full, quite close but with sufficient ambience, and captures the pianist’s often dramatic dynamic range.: RECOMMENDED
” —Roy Westbrook

American Record Guide

“
This is fresh and beautiful. He doesn’t sound like anyone else. He is thrilled and moved, and so are we. The piano (Steinway D) is beautifully recorded—almost sensual. The sheer beauty of the instrument will take your breath away.
” —Donald Vroon

International Piano

“
Soldano’s recital builds [in] a clear and compelling trajectory. A fine interpreter…Soldano captures the glowing grandeur with fingers of steel.
” —Colin Clarke

Audiophile Audition

“
An especially lucid reading … brilliant, upper register filigree. . Soldano assigns [the Sonata] both a lyric and manic character at once, creating a sense of colliding impulses, creative and self-destructive.
” —Gary Lemco

MusicWeb International