Kid Yugi Paganini

Tzimon Barto is recognised as one of the foremost American pianists of his generation. His new double-CD for Ondine features Paganini variations by three composers, Liszt, Brahms and Lutoslawski, and the popular Paganini Rhapsody Rachmaninov, on which Christoph Eschenbach conducts the Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra. The Schlewig-Holstein Festival Orchestra was founded by Leonard Bernstein in 1987. This recording is Tzimon Barto’s 5th Ondine release.

Star pianist Lang Lang joins star conductor Valery Gergiev and the Orchestra of the Mariinsky Theatre to perform two star-making works of the piano and orchestra repertoire: Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 and the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Both works contain themes that are very familiar to many. The third movement of the Concerto contains the "Full Moon and Empty Arms" theme, while the Rhapsody has the romantic 18th variation that is frequently heard in film soundtracks, most famously Somewhere in Time. The real attraction here, however, is the combination of two spectacular musicians who each have their own following and their own distinct style of interpretation.

Sergei Rachmaninov - Paganini Rhapsody & Piano Concerto No.2
Yuja Wang, piano / Mahler Chamber Orchestra / Claudio Abbado
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 225 MB | Full Artwork: 83 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Deutsche Grammophon # 477 9308 GH | Country/Year: Germany 2011
Genre: Classical | Style: Romantic, Piano

"…Wang's impeccable technique and tonal beauty certainly aid in pouring this old wine into a new bottle . . . the spins and gyrations become quite beguiling, while Abbado injects his own potent impetus into the mix. A disarming lovely set of Rachmaninov works, beautifully played and gorgeously recorded courtesy of engineer Stephan Flock." ~Audiophile Audition

Serge Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto might never have seen the light of day had it not been for hypnosis: before the twenty-seven-year-old composer began work on it, he was on his last legs – financially, artistically and psychologically. Dr Nikolay Dahl hypnotised his patient every day, whispering to him: ‘You will write your concerto. You will work with great fluency. The concerto will be of excellent quality.’ The creative block disappeared, and the concerto’s premiere in Moscow in 1901 was a triumph for Rachmaninov, who played the solo part himself. Anna Vinnitskaya says she feels ‘a spring-like atmosphere’ in this work: throughout there is a sense of movement, of awakening. The music passes through the most contrasting psychological landscapes, but moves towards clarity and light. Rachmaninov composed the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in 1934, ten years before his death. Brahms, Liszt, Lutosławski and Andrew Lloyd Webber are among the remarkable roll call of composers inspired by Paganini’s theme.