Piano Works 1936–2000 Josef Tal, Ofra Yitzhaki

Everbest Music & Media is pleased to announce our third album release, Virgil Thomson: A Gallery of Portraits for Piano and Other Piano Works. These discs feature 70 of the 110 portraits for solo piano–representing the largest collection of these piano portraits ever recorded by one artist–brought to life by Craig Rutenberg, distinguished pianist, friend, and colleague of Mr. Thomson.

Peter Lichtenthal, born Wolfgang Mayer in 1779 in Bratislava, was not only a physician, but also a composer and author, including of two Mozart biographies, to which high authenticity can be attributed due to his acquaintance with Constanze Mozart and his two sons Carl and Franz. As a great admirer of the genius Mozart, he created numerous transcriptions of Mozart’s works.

This is Imogen Cooper’s first release on Chandos Records. Recognised worldwide as a pianist of virtuosity and poetic poise, she has established a reputation as one of the finest interpreters of the classical and romantic repertoire. She has dazzled audiences and orchestras throughout her distinguished career, bringing to the concert platform a unique musical understanding and lyrical quality.

Warm humanity that infuses everything technical with life and a sense of duty" - Numerous composers who were victims of Nazi persecution have been rediscovered in recent years.

In 'Elsewhere', Matthieu Bergheau performs three of Rachmaninov's greatest solo piano works: his two Piano Sonatas and his Corelli Variations. 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of Rachmaninoff's birth and Bergheau pays a very personal tribute to the composer with this release.

Adolf Barjansky was born in Odessa into a wealthy Russian-Jewish family, and received his musical education in Vienna, Paris and Leipzig, studying piano with Carl Reinecke and Salomon Jadassohn. Barjansky’s compositions focus mainly on solo piano works couched in conventional forms, enhanced by his use of imagery, impressions and spatial sound. The two expansive sonatas in this volume display his fusion of lyricism and poignancy, as well as an adaptable sense of modern harmony.

On September 1, 2023, Steinway & Sons releases The Silence Between the Notes - Louise Farrenc: Solo Piano Works, Vol. 2 (STNS 30223) from pianist Joanne Polk. The album is a compliment to Polk's acclaimed 2020 release, Louise Farrenc: Etudes & Variations for Solo Piano (STNS 30133).

Charles-Valentin Alkan is one of the most talented French romantic composers and pianists yet his music has rarely been recorded, and too little performed. Fascinated by the piano, Alkan showed great interest in the progress of instrumental manufacture and composed many works for solo piano; the programme chosen by Yury Favorin includes two of his major compositions.

Selim Palmgren was one of the most prominent composer-pianists of his era, and is also noted as one of the earliest composers of Impressionist piano miniatures, beautifully represented in the nostalgic atmosphere of his Impromptu dans la solitude, Op. 63, No. 2. The autobiographical Päiväkirjan lehtisiä, Op. 109 (‘Diary Sheets’) belongs amongst Palmgren’s final works for the piano. This seventh volume in Jouni Somero’s acclaimed edition of Palmgren’s complete piano works includes many rarities and premiere recordings.

Angel Stanislav Wang, winner of the 63rd Jaén Prize International Piano Competition in 2022, presents his Naxos debut recital with a selection of works he performed during the competition.