Solo Piano

Garrick Ohlsson - Johannes Brahms: The Complete Variations for Solo Piano (2010) 2CDs

Garrick Ohlsson - Johannes Brahms: The Complete Variations for Solo Piano (2010) 2CDs
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 328 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 248 Mb | Artwork included
Genre: Classical | Label: Hyperion | # CDA67777 | Time: 01:47:19

These strong, stylish, intelligently mapped-out, and excellently engineered interpretations of Brahms' complete solo-piano variation sets find pianist Garrick Ohlsson on peak technical and musical form. The impetuous fervor and tempo extremes that characterized his 1977 EMI release of the Handel and Paganini variation sets have given way to steadier, better integrated tempos and an altogether stronger linear awareness that yields greater textural diversity and color without sacrificing power and mass. What is more, ear-catching rubatos, voicings, and articulations are borne out of what's in the score.
Steven Osborne - Maurice Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Music (2011) 2CDs

Steven Osborne - Maurice Ravel: The Complete Solo Piano Music (2011) 2CDs
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 358 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 328 Mb | Artwork included
Genre: Classical | Label: Hyperion | # CDA 67731-2 | Time: 02:22:53

A complete survey of Ravel’s piano music is an especially challenging prospect for any pianist. It is not merely that this sublime music frequently demands exceptional, post-Lisztian virtuosity. Beyond such dexterity is the fact that, as Steven Osborne observes in this recording’s booklet, the composer’s fear of repeating himself ensure that the lessons from one work can rarely be transferred to the next. This is not merely the aesthetic change from the nightmarish imagery of Gaspard de la nuit to the elegant neo-classicism of Le tombeau de Couperin. Ravel essentially re-imagined how to write for the piano with each significant work. Osborne is more than up to the task. The contrasting fireworks of the ‘Toccata’ from Le tombeau and ‘Alborada del gracioso’ (Miroirs) are despatched with relish, the piano exploding with power in the latter after a disarmingly impish opening. The Sonatine has a refined insouciance, while the love bestowed upon each note is clear. Then there are the numerous moments of sustained control, such as the shimmering opening pages of Gaspard. Sometimes changes of spirit occur effortlessly within a piece. Having been a model of clarity in the ‘Prelude’ from Le tombeau, Osborne treats the codetta not as a brisk flourish, but as if this particular vision of the 18th century is dissolving beneath his fingers.
Paul Wee - Charles-Valentin Alkan: Symphony for Solo Piano; Concerto for Solo Piano (2019)

Paul Wee - Charles-Valentin Alkan: Symphony for Solo Piano; Concerto for Solo Piano (2019)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 288 Mb | Total time: 78:32 | Scans included
Classical | Label: BIS ‎| BIS-SACD-2465 | Recorded: 2017, 2018

Charles-Valentin Alkan made his name as pianist in nineteenth-century Paris and seemed poised for a glittering career. But following a series of setbacks he withdrew into a life of relative seclusion, and as he receded from the public eye, so too did his music. It was never entirely forgotten, but it was not until the 1960s and 1970s that Alkan’s works began to emerge from obscurity. To quote the liner notes by Paul Wee, ‘Alkan’s music exhibits a formidable grasp of form and structure, a strong command of melody, a high sense of drama and an unprecedented exploitation of the capabilities of the piano.’
Sergio Fiorentino - Rachmaninov: Complete Solo Piano Works [6CDs] (2018)

Sergio Fiorentino - Rachmaninov: Complete Solo Piano Works (2018)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 1.66 Gb | Total time: 07:09:36 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Rhine Classics | RH-006 | Recorded: 1987

Recorded live in September 1987, this release features Florentins legendary complete survey of Rachmaninoffs solo piano works. an utterly mindblowing release of the complete Rachmaninoff solo piano music by Italian master pianist Sergio Fiorentino, to whom the piano world owes a huge debt of gratitude for coaxing the master out of retirement and ensuring that his last decade of concerts was recorded. In this set, we find in absolutely stunning sound quality Fiorentinos masterful traversals of Rachmaninoffs solo works, the golden sheen of his sound and refinement of his nuancing as captivating as his passionate and intelligent interpretations. (The Piano Files)
Barry Douglas - Johannes Brahms: Works for Solo Piano, Volume 2 (2013)

Barry Douglas - Johannes Brahms: Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 2 (2013)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 211 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 164 Mb | Artwork included
Genre: Classical | Label: Chandos | # CHAN10757 | Time: 01:08:36

Following the varied programming of Johannes Brahms: Works for Solo Piano, Vol. 1, Barry Douglas presents a mix of early and late pieces to give the second volume emotional balance, and sets a series of short pieces against a monumental masterpiece. Douglas is a thoughtful and eloquent performer, and his Brahms has the hallmarks of serious consideration and introspection; nothing here is superfluous or simply offered for show. The sensitive selection of three Ballades and three Intermezzi to frame the muscular Rhapsody Op. 119/4, gives the first part of the program an internal unity and feeling of logical organization, even though the shifting moods feel as effortless and unplanned as clouds passing on a sunny afternoon. The Sonata No. 3 is placed at the end of the recital, as befits its stature, and Douglas' interpretation gives it the feeling of gravitas and inevitability. Yet it also partakes of the fleeting moods that were carefully prepared in the early part of the program, so Douglas' shaping of this album shows great care in preparation.

Sonja Fraki - Kalevi Aho: Works for Solo Piano (2014)  Music

Posted by Designol at March 15, 2023
Sonja Fraki - Kalevi Aho: Works for Solo Piano (2014)

Sonja Fräki - Kalevi Aho: Works for Solo Piano (2014)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 246 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 169 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Classical | Label: BIS | # BIS-SCAD-2106 | Time: 01:13:22

Known particularly for his orchestral output 16 symphonies and 21 concertos to date! the Finnish composer Kalevi Aho was recently described in Gramophone as having a strong claim to the title of greatest living symphonist. But as followers of the ongoing releases of his music on BIS will know, Aho has also composed a large number of works for smaller forces quartets and quintets, duos and solo pieces. On the present disc, the Finnish pianist Sonja Fräki presents his output for solo piano, comfortably fitting on one disc, but nevertheless spanning some 30 years of a long career.
Marc-André Hamelin - Alkan: Symphony For Solo Piano, Trois Morceaux Dans Le Genre Pathétique (2001)

Marc-André Hamelin - Alkan: Symphony For Solo Piano, Trois Morceaux Dans Le Genre Pathétique (2001)
EAC | FLAC (image+.cue, log) | Covers Included | 74:08 | 245 MB
Genre: Classical | Label: Hyperion | Catalog: CDA67218

Marc-Andre Hamelin's first solo Alkan recording (CDA66794) met with the most superlative critical reception imaginable (culminating in Fanfare magazine's "one of the best releases of anything to have been made, a classic of the recorded era"). This follow-up proves to be no less spectacular. The disc is framed by two of the 'monster' works for which Alkan is notorious. The four movements of the Symphony for solo piano are taken from his magnum opus, the 12 Studies in the minor keys Op 39. This piece has become one of Alkan's best known but never has its finale (once described as a 'ride in hell') been so spectacularly thrown off.

Philip Glass - Solo Piano (1989)  Music

Posted by tirexiss at Oct. 7, 2022
Philip Glass - Solo Piano (1989)

Philip Glass - Solo Piano (1989)
EAC | FLAC (image+.cue, log) | Covers Included | 51:25 | 196 MB
Genre: Classical, Minimalism | Label: CBS Records | Catalog: MK 45576

With SOLO PIANO, Glass presents himself "unplugged" - no electronic keyboards or synthesizers, and no overdubs, either - just solo piano. Here, Glass' connection to the established "classical" tradition is most evident. Though his pieces are "minimal" (subtly altered repeated patterns or melodic motifs), yet they have an unsentimental beauty and heartfelt grace that one would hear in J.S. Bach's English Suites, as well as the piano music of Chopin and Erik Satie.
Antony Gray - Poulenc: Complete Music for Solo Piano (2015)

Antony Gray - Poulenc: Complete Music for Solo Piano (2015)
WEB FLAC (tracks) - 1.3 GB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps - 991 MB
6:06:41 | Classical, Piano | Label: ABC Classic

Graceful and elegant, joyously exuberant, witty and wise, innocent yet sophisticated, hauntingly eloquent, deeply passionate and irresistibly beautiful: the solo piano music of Francis Poulenc reveals a world of emotion, intellect and variety. From the gentle poetry of his Novelettes and Nocturnes to the tongue-in-cheek brilliance of the Promenades, the bittersweet yet tender nostalgia of the Soir es de Nazelles, and the sheer delight of Babar the Elephant, this 5CD album presents the complete solo piano works of this extraordinary composer. Australian pianist Antony Gray, internationally acclaimed for his unique blend of musical insight and technical mastery, places his remarkable talents at the service of Poulenc's genius in this landmark collection. Includes world-premiere recordings of nine works.
Risto-Matti Marin - Franz Liszt: Complete Symphonic Poems, transcribed for solo piano, Volume Four (2021)

Risto-Matti Marin - Franz Liszt: Complete Symphonic Poems, transcribed for solo piano, Volume Four (2021)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 187 Mb | Total time: 72:49 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Toccata Classics | # TOCC 0517 | Recorded: 2020

Although Liszt’s thirteen symphonic poems exist in two-piano transcriptions prepared by the composer himself, it was his Czech student August Stradal (1860–1930) who transcribed twelve of them for solo piano – versions which demand almost superhuman virtuosity. Stradal died before he could tackle the last of the symphonic poems, Von der Wiege bis zum Grabe; Risto-Matti Marin has made good that lacuna with his own virtuoso transcription, and adds six of Stradal’s transcriptions of Liszt songs for good measure.