Andrey Sushentsov

Since our meeting during our studies at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki in 2010 and a few years of concerts and exploration, we are happy to be able to concretize a project that has been close to our hearts for a long time: the recording of our first disc. We designed the Color Gradient program together, featuring works composed between the end of the 19th century and the present day. The program is a journey from France to America and from so-called classical music to almost improvised music. Color Gradient can be seen as a tribute to the incredible stylistic and aesthetic evolutions of music during the 20th century in terms of harmony, form and melodic freedom.

This live performance took place during the AEVEA IPC (II/2020, onclassical.com/app/) and was recorded as HD/24-bits by producer and engineer Alessandro Simonetto by using 8 (eight) Bruel & Kjaeer and Neumann microphones. These recordings are part of the Aevea Piano Prize, and their sale are important in order to support future editions of the competition.

The brief opening piece for chorus on this new release, "Da Pacem Domine," is based on a 9th century Gregorian work and has the usual, familiar–and very beautiful–Pärt-ian characteristics: a soft, endless stream of easy tritones and harmonies that make this plea for peace immensely moving. The major work, Lamentate, is scored for large orchestra and solo piano–a very unusual combination for Pärt. Even his fans will be surprised. In ten brief sections, it begins with a quiet drum roll, immediately followed by horn calls. There are forte explosions for full orchestra and piano, with heavy percussion. At times the only thing we hear is a hushed piano part with strings supporting very quietly. The effect is dark yet alluring. It ends peacefully. This is another stunning CD of Pärt's music for his fans–old and new.

There's a little joke behind the innocuous name of Ernest Bloch's Symphony in E-flat. It is, in truth, one of his most harmonically acerbic works, very close to the tortured contrapuntal idiom of another famous Swiss composer: Honegger. The piece only really achieves its home key in the quiet, final bars, but along the way sparks fly in all directions, and no matter how dissonant the idiom the argument is very easy to follow, and melodies and motives have distinctive, easily recognizable shapes.

Andrey Gugnin presents a wonderful all-Grieg recital. The elegant neo-classicism of From Holberg's time (a rare and welcome opportunity to hear the original version for solo piano) contrasting with the brooding magnificence of the Ballade. Two complete sets of Lyric Pieces- those most perfect of piano miniatures-are also included.