Tokyo Sonata

Kissin's generous lyricism and lovely rubato in Rachmaninov's Lilacs make a distinguished prelude to this recital; but they are only a hint of the revelations to come. The big E flat minor Etude tableau drenches the listener in an extraordinary welter of sound, at once free and controlled, sensitive to harmonic nuance and yet to broader undercurrents as well. And it is followed by a phenomenally articulate C minor, swirling and crackling like a force of nature (with just a couple of accidents on the last page as a brief reminder of human frailty)

Antonio Vivaldi - Sonata a tre 'La Follia'
Ensemble 415 / Chiara Banchini
EAC+LOG+CUE | WV: 367 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Harmonia Mundi # HMG 501366 | Country/Year: France 2008, 1991
Genre: Classical | Style: Baroque

"Ensemble 415 is a chamber ensemble devoted largely to the performance of Baroque music on period instruments. The numerical reference in the group's name derives from the pitch used for tuning instruments in the Baroque era. In performing chamber music, Ensemble 415 consists of just a few players, but for larger compositions, the number expands to a minimum of 13 and can reach up to as high as 40 performers. The ensemble's repertory has been broad over the years, taking in many Baroque standards by J.S. Bach, Vivaldi, and Handel, as well as lesser known fare by Muffat and others…"

As the climax of his hugely successful 2018/19 season, in which he celebrated both his sixtieth birthday and the fortieth anniversary of the launch of his sensational career, legendary Croatian pianist Ivo Pogorelich releases an eagerly-anticipated new recording on Sony Classical. This will be his first new album since 1998. The repertoire comprises two sonatas by Beethoven - No. 22, Op. 54, and No. 24, Op. 78 and a work written just over a hundred years later, Rachmaninoffs Second Piano Sonata Op. 36.