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CHOPIN: 24 Preludes; SCHUMANN: Fantasie in C Major – Horacio Gutierrez, p. – Bridge

CHOPIN: 24 Preludes; SCHUMANN: Fantasie in C Major – Horacio Gutierrez, p. – Bridge

by | Mar 9, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

Noble and commanding, the Gutierrez renditions of two Romantic staples should bring repeated delights. CHOPIN: 24 Preludes, Op. 28; SCHUMANN: Fantasie in C Major, Op. 17 – Horacio Gutierrez, p. – Bridge 9479, 65:56 (10/7/16)  [Distr. by Albany] ****: Horatio Gutierrez (b. 1948) addresses (rec. 26-28 March 2015) two of the Romantic pillars of keyboard composition, the 1838 Chopin Preludes, and the 1839 Fantasie of Robert Schumann, works whose rhetoric and exalted gestures – along with the Liszt b minor Sonata – virtually embody the spirit of the age. The Chopin Preludes provide a kind of Rosetta Stone for the Romantic sensibility, 24 pieces in all the major and minor tonalities whose one concession to the Classical form lies in their following the circle of fifths. Chopin had taken a copy of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier with him to Majorca, and he studiously absorbed much of Bach’s concentrated lyricism and contrapuntal models, but he eschewed any additional component to his preludes: none of them attaches to an ensuing fugue or fantasia. Instead, the mighty drama Chopin effects lies within the core of each miniature – say, in the f-sharp minor – whose angry figures relent only in the last measures. True, […]

PROKOFIEV: Piano Sonatas 2, 6 & 8 – Alexander Melnikov – HM

PROKOFIEV: Piano Sonatas 2, 6 & 8 – Alexander Melnikov – HM

by | Jan 9, 2017 | Classical CD Reviews

Alexander Melnikov delivers his first installment of the tempestuous and alternately lyrical Prokofiev sonata-cycle. PROKOFIEV: Piano Sonata No. 2 in d, Op. 14; Piano Sonata No. 6 in A Major, Op. 82; Piano Sonata No. 8 in B-flat Major, Op. 84 – Alexander Melnikov, piano – Harmonia mundi HMC 902202, 70:05 (11/18/16) [Distr. by PIAS] ****: A complete cycle of Prokofiev sonatas, of which this (rec. 8-10 June 2014 and 3-5 August 2015) comprises the first installment. The 1912 Prokofiev Second Sonata first came to my attention through Jean Casadesus’ Piano Literature class at SUNY Binghamton.  Dedicated to Prokofiev’s tragic friend Maximilian Smidthof, the music incorporates Prokofiev’s simultaneous gifts for acerbic percussion and haunted lyricism. The opening movement impressed me – realized by Casadesus at the time – with its multiplicity of moods, themes, and effects, all of which made Casadesus’ hands streak by in blurred, pungent motion. Melnikov – virtually a direct “heir” to Sviatoslav Richter – opts for a decidedly lyrical approach here, softening the percussive episodes so as to allow the polyphony of the five themes to blend, separate, vary, and gain in both ornaments and dynamics. The explosions really erupt from Melnikov in the Scherzo: Allegro […]

“Trumpet Combinations” = Works of GARDNER, JELICH, FRANCESCINI, PINO, HANDLE, BLACHER, BUSSER & TOTH – baritone/brass trio/ pipe organ – MD&G

“Trumpet Combinations” = Works of GARDNER, JELICH, FRANCESCINI, PINO, HANDLE, BLACHER, BUSSER & TOTH – baritone/brass trio/ pipe organ – MD&G

by | Nov 11, 2016 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

“Trumpet Combinations” = JOHN GARDNER: Sonata da Chiesa sopra un tema di Claudio Monteverdi, Op. 136; VINCENT JELICH: Ricercare; PETRONIO FRANCESCINI: Sonata in D; J.S. BACH: Nun lob, mein Seel, den Herren; ANTONIO PINO: Laudate pueri Dominum; HANDEL: The Entrance of the Queen of Sheba from “Solomon”; HANDEL: Revenge, Timotheus Cries from “Alexander’s Feast”; BORIS BLACHER: Divertimento 1946; HENRI BUSSER: Andante et Scherzo; PÉTER TÓTH: Sonata da Chiesa ‒ Joachim Pliquett & Matthias Kühnle, trumpet / Klaus Mertens, baritone / András Fejér, trombone / Arvid Gast, organ ‒ MD&G multichannel SACD Audiomax 906 1930-6 (also 2+2+2); 71:18 ****: Trumpets and friends in appealing surround sound. A bland title, perhaps, but a forthright one. Here we have the trumpet in combination with several old friends, namely trombone, baritone voice, and organ. In fact, this recording showcases the organs of St. Jakobi Church in Lübeck. Note that I say organs, because for the older works on the program, Arvid Gast plays the Renaissance Stellwagen organ, while in the modern pieces he holds forth on the church’s impressive great organ. One musical breadcrumb trail that the performers pursue is the sonata da chiesa, or church sonata, a genre that flourished throughout the Baroque […]

Shura Cherkassky, piano = Works of HAYDN, CHOPIN, CHASINS, POULENC & RACHMANINOFF – MeloClassic

Shura Cherkassky, piano = Works of HAYDN, CHOPIN, CHASINS, POULENC & RACHMANINOFF – MeloClassic

by | Jan 16, 2016 | Classical Reissue Reviews

Cherkassky’s appearances in Germany in the 1950s confirm his status as a master colorist. Shura Cherkassky, piano = HAYDN: Piano Sonata No. 34 in e minor; CHOPIN: Ballade No. 1 in g minor, Op. 23; Impromptu No. 3 in G-flat Major, Op. 51; Fantasie-Impromptu in c-sharp minor, Op. 66; Scherzo No. 1 in b minor, Op. 20; CHASINS: 3 Chinese Pieces, Op. 5; POULENC: Toccata from Trois Pieces; RACHMANINOV: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43 – Shura Cherkassky, p./ Sym. of the SW German Radio/ Hans Mueller-Kray – MeloClassic MC 1033, 74:55 [www.meloclassic.com] *****: The rarified art of pianist Shura Cherkassky (1909-1995) has another important document in these 1952-1958 recital pieces and the Rachmaninov Rhapsody from, respectively, Bremen and Southwest German Radio. From the outset (27 February 1958), with the e minor Haydn Sonata (1778), Cherkassky presents a wide sonic palette, though understated, that reveals Haydn’s demands – Alberti bass figures, legato double-notes, syncopated double-notes, and a constant juxtaposition of major and minor modalities – that unfold in a manner that combines much of Scarlatti with the stile brise of the Bach sons. Besides the use of portato arpeggios in the first movement, the striking Adagio suggests florid, […]