Polina Leschenko is rapidly gaining an international audience among pianophiles. In her early teens, Leschenko studied with Leon Fleisher and Alexander Rabinovitch Barakovsky during the 1990s. Her appearances at the Lugano Festival's Progetto Martha Argerich five years ago – and the recordings of her riveting live appearances – created a major buzz in the music press. Last year, her first recordings in the high-definition SACD format on the avanticlassic label – in partnership with Argerich, violinists Dora Schwarzberg and Roby Lakatos, and cellist Christian Poltera (with whom she made her Carnegie Hall debut) – added to the press buzz and fan base. Critics were particularly amazed by her highly original, blazingly virtuosic and daring rethinking of Sergei Prokofiev's notoriously difficult Piano Sonata No.7 (AVC-1021).
Her latest release for avanticlassic is without question her most significant to date. For the first time, Polina records solo warhorses of the romantic repertory: the Liszt Sonata in b minor, Busoni's transcription of Bach's Chaconne from Partita II, Liszt's transcription of Gounod's Waltz from Faust and Bach's marvellous Prelude and Fugue in A minor (arr. Liszt).
Polina's virtuosity is again displayed at its very best. Her vision of the works will undoubtedly provoke many reactions. Polina Leschenko is no "consensus" interpreter but a highly individual voice among today's greatest pianists.
For those who consider the art of interpretation as a quest for a musical truth that is not cast in stone but, on the contrary, is a domain for imagination, respect and above all an unequalled means to communicate the deepest feelings, this record is unmissable.
Her incredible involvement in these works, her absolute knowledge of the counterpoint, her total musical command, her true poetic moments as well as her furies will certainly not leave anybody unmoved.
- Stunning, original interpretations of monumental romantic-era works by a major rising star of the piano and protégé of Martha Argerich, Leon Fleisher and Alexander Rabinovitch Barakovsky
- avanticlassic is releasing some of the finest-sounding recordings today, produced by Belgian audiophile producer Frédéric Grün and his team at puremusic
- released in hybrid SACD format: high-definition surround sound for home theater owners and superb CD-quality sound in conventional players
Andrea Lucchesini Plays Luciano Berio
Andrea Lucchesini, associated as no other with the piano works of Luciano Berio, presents the most comprehensive collection of the great Italian composer's solo keyboard oeuvre yet issued, including the seminal Sequenza IV, the monumental late Sonata, and two works written especially for him. Berio first heard Lucchesini in the 1980s and, captivated by his "pure" pianism, asked him to perform his Concerto II at the Proms in London. From that point their association flourished. Lucchesini is joined by his wife Valentina Lucchesini, in two works for piano four hands on this CD. The comprehensiveness of this album is complemented by the booklet annotation, including a personal note by Lucchesini, a note by Berio on his Sonata, a note by the Sonata's dedicatee Reinhold Brinkmann, and a note of appreciation by Berio's widow, Talia Berio.
Luciano Berio: Sonata per pianoforte solo / 6 Encores (1964-1990) / Rounds / Sequenza IV / 5 Variazioni (revised version of 1966) / Touch* / Canzonetta*
Andrea Lucchesini, piano
*
with Talia Lucchesini, piano
Avie AVI-2104
1 CD | jewelcase | Classical: Piano | Price Code H
Craig Urquhart: Secret Spaces
Craig Urquhart has established a reputation as a leader and trendsetter in acoustic music for the piano. His remarkable musical career has moved him in seemingly many directions: musical coach to actor Tom Hulce for the Academy Award winning film Amadeus, musical assistant to Leonard Bernstein until the Maestro's death in 1990, composer of accessible, beautiful music for the piano and voice, and concert artist whose appearances playing his own music throughout the United States and around the world draw fans and music lovers of all ages. His music draws on a wide range of musical influences, including keyboard works by Bach, Schumann, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Debussy, Satie and Copland, the songs of Joni Mitchell and Laura Nyro, and even the ambient music of Brian Eno.
His newest recording, Secret Spaces, is an inner journey and easily his most personal gathering of piano music on a single CD to date, with the opening title track setting the stage for a reflective and contemplative program. Many of the titles are self-explanatory: Contemplation, Romance, Reunion, Embrace, Forgiveness, Meditation. Other tracks invoke not only places – Cathedral Pines, Along the Seine and Venetian Snowfall – but the contemplative power that nature interacting with environment have on emotional and spiritual growth and health. The final selection, Virginia Mountain Morning, was composed at the Virginia Center for The Arts and celebrates the creative power of being surrounded by both the natural setting and the people that generate a nurturing environment.
Craig Urquhart: Secret Spaces / Contemplation / Reunion / Cathedral Pines / Along the Seine / Romance / Embrace / Venetian Snowfall / Forgiveness / Meditation / Virginia Mountain Morning
Craig Urquhart, piano
Heart Earth Music
HEM-93536
1 CD |
Classical / Instrumental Acoustic: Piano |
Price Code I
Music of Tribute: Bach
Volume 5 of Labor’s on-going “Music of Tribute” series is a solo album by the outstanding young German pianist Beatrice Berthold featuring a series of homages to Johann Sebastian Bach from French, Swiss, Polish, Hungarian, Russian and American composers, plus works by the great German master himself.
JS Bach: Preludes in e minor, BWV941, C major, BWV939 and c minor, BWV999 / Fugue in C Major, BWV953 /
Little Preludes in F Major, BWV927, C Major, BWV924 and D Major, BWV925 /
Prelude & Fugue in D Major, BWV874 / Italian Concerto BWV971 /
Dutilleux: Hommage à Bach /
Honegger: Prélude–Arioso–Fughette on B.A.C.H. /
Godowsky: Prelude & Fugue or the left hand alone /
Poulenc: Valse-Improvisation sur le nom de BACH /
Heitor Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No.4 /
Bartók: Hommage à J.S.B. /
Kurtág: Hommage à J.S.B. /
Riley: G Song /
Shostakovitch: Prelude & Fugue No. 24 in d minor
Beatrice Berthold, piano
Labor Records LAB-7079
1 CD | Jewelcase |
Classical: Piano | Price Code I
Avanti Classics AVC-1027
Columna Musica CMU-167
