Monday, 15 May 2017

Sound Of The Czech Countryside

Martinu Cantatas.

Performers : Prague Philharmonic Choir, conducted by Lukas Vasilek.

Four secular cantatas, settings of poems by Miloslav Bures on traditional folk themes. Chamber ensemble accompaniment and soloists taken from the choir.

Tuesday, 9 May 2017

Revival Of Interest In Important Influence

Adolph von Henselt piano works

Performer : Daniel Grimwood piano

Revival of interest in once leading piano composer / performer of German heritage but inspiration of the Russian piano school. Grimwood plays a period piano.

Bang The Drums For Folk Style

Bartok piano music, volume 3

Cedric Tiberghien piano. Includes sonata for two pianos and percussion which also has Francois-Frederic Guy piano and Colin Currie and Sam Walton percussion.

Solo piano pieces mainly folk flavoured on this volume. Excellent series by Tiberghien, I have yet to purchase volume two.

Thursday, 4 May 2017

Russian School But Thoroughly Individual

Prokofiev piano sonatas nos 2,6 and 8.

Performer : Alexander Melnikov ; piano.

Part of a process of mopping up at least one recording of each Prokofiev sonata. Melnikov will eventually record all and it should be an exceptional cycle but others can fill in meantime too.

Tuesday, 2 May 2017

Pianistic Pictures

Musorgsky, Pictures From An Exhibition. Prokofiev, Visions Fugitives and Five Sarcasms.

Performer : Steven Osborne, piano.

Finally adding the original piano version of Pictures to my disc  of ravel's orchestration. And the Prokofiev miniatures are far from merely being make weights.

More Neglected Repertoire

Alfredo Casella Symphony No 2 and Scarlattiana.

Performers : BBC Philharmonic conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, Martin Roscoe piano in Scarlattiana.

20th century Italian composer, Paris educated. Russian and Germanic influences in the symphony and neo-classical take on Scarlatti.

Monday, 1 May 2017

Rare and Worthwhile Repertoire

The Piano Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams.

Performers : Mark Bebbington solo piano; Mark Bebbington and Rebecca Omordia two pianos and piano duet.

Not known for his piano output but this worthwhile release of miniatures and transcriptions and the premiere recording of the substantial Introduction and Fugue for Two Pianos shows that RVW was not a stranger to the instrument and could write idiosyncratically for it.