Peter Borbe

"Whether it is necessary, or even right, to follow conventions (the beaten track) when recording music, for example, or whether the performer can claim the right to show the listener the world he lives in, the world he knows best, with all its beauty and its countless oddities, even risks? Should he let the listener into his own territory, that is, into a strange and individual dimension that the audience may not have known existed until now? Nowadays, a carefully crafted recording gives the listener the illusion of a world believed to be flawless, a care that is fundamentally designed to cater to the perfectionism of the audience. A 'different' kind of care is therefore needed, one that can breathe life into even a recording. Our intention in making this record was therefore to create the most natural, realistically transcendent material possible, capable of speaking to the audience." (Szabolcs Szilágyi)

Every pianist in his dream plays Rachmaninoff. Playing Rachmaninoff is part of being a pianist. When I play Rachmaninoff, I may find even greater satisfaction in being part of the ongoing adventure of pianism. When I play Rachmaninoff, my fingers dream, not me. I have chosen one for the album from an uncapturable plethora of Preludes and Etude-images. My selection is purely an intuitive selection of a single illuminating moment. László Borbély

“Poulenc’s piano works, like his other works, have always captivated me, both with their unrelenting honesty and their fearless formal certainty. Poulenc is brilliant at taking his listeners from one emotion to another, often without any transition. Poulenc’s language is often glibly described as ‘light’ even by the musical public. But this view is only correct to the extent that one can objectively observe his personal life from within the palpable proximity of danger. This ‘predatory’ gaze pervades the French composer’s work. The unvarnished honesty of Poulenc’s music, which brilliantly blends tradition and progression, makes it astonishingly direct for all of us.”

Peter Gabriel has released Flotsam and Jetsam, a collection of b-sides and rarities spanning his lengthy solo career.