Andrei Chopin

Between 1976 and 1990, Andrei Gavrilov was an exclusive artist with EMI, winning several international prizes including a Gramophone award in 1979, Deutscher Schallplattenpreis in 1981, Grand Prix International du Disque de L'Academie Charles Crois in 1985 and 1986, and International Record Critics Award (IRCA) in 1985. Among his other awards are the 1989 Premio Internazionale Accademia Musicale Chigiana (the jury of music critics proclaiming him as the greatest pianist in the world), and the Board of International Research of American Biographical Institute (ABI) Man of the Year commemorative medal, Gold Record of Achievement and World Lifetime Achievement awards, in recognition of his contribution to society. In 1998 Andrei Gavrilov was selected as one of the pianists to be featured in Philips Music Group's Great Pianists of the Twentieth Century collection.

From the Minute Waltz to the Military Polonaise these 25 tracks display the inimitable master composer for the piano at his best in performances from some of the greatest Chopin interpreters: Martha Argerich, Emil Gilels, Maria João Pires, Maurizio Pollini, Yundi and more.

LONDON, Dec. 18— The Soviet-born cellist Mstislav Rostropovich played in a benefit concert for Armenian earthquake victims Saturday night, after postponing a visit to India in order to participate in the event.
''It was very important for me to take part in this concert,'' the 61-year-old musician said before a last-minute rehearsal with the flutist James Galway, the conductor Andre Previn and other musicians who rearranged their schedules and donated time to perform….

Gavrilov is a pianist of outstanding virtuosity and power. In 1974 Melodiya recorded the 1st Tchaikovsky-concerto at the pricewinner concert of the Tchaikovsky competition together with a live solo recital. 1976 a studio recording of the 3rd Rachmaninoff concerto followed. From 1977 to 1989 he worked exclusively for EMI. From that time dates the legendary recording of the Chopin-Etudes and many other works, notably from Chopin, Scriabin, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff and J.S. Bach. From 1991 to 1993 he recorded for Deutsche Grammophon, where Gavrilov, who among new works keeps his core repertoire, also duplicated some works already recorded for EMI. A number of projects with many Gavrilov-premieres was no more realized, Bach's English Suites, the complete Beethoven piano concerti, the Choral Fantasie and the Diabelli Variations, as well as more vague plans with works by Liszt (Etudes d'execution transcendante, Paganini-Etudes), Ravels complete works for piano solo and with orchestra, the piano concertos of Grieg und Schumann and Benjamin Brittens Golden Vanity. In 2009 a number of new DVD-recordings is planned for release.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Not very forthcoming as a person, Chopin reserved for the piano alone the secret – rather than the confidences or confessions – of his inner being. It is as if the piano were his double, resonating in harmony with his sensibility and receiving his feelings, his impressions, even his hallucinations.

Russia is vast, and so is this 25-disc tribute to the great piano school of Russia-from the long-famous icons to the more recent inheritors of this ineffably proud tradition. Vladimir Horowitz, Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Lazar Berman and many others display their subtly various approaches to phrasing and timbre as they perform the great works of the Russian canon and composers across Europe.