Kirill Gerstein - Plays Liszt Schumann & Knussen - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

On this Boris Brovtsyn presents Ysaye Sonatas as well as Ysaye's Etude Posthume which was published after the composer's death, and is receiving here it's world premiere recording. Boris Brovtsyn has established himself as one of the most profound and versatile musicians of his generation. He is in ever-increasing demand all around the world as both concerto soloist and chamber musician. His repertoire includes over fifty violin concertos and hundreds of chamber works, some of which he premiered. He is a frequent guest at InchLes Grands InterpretesInch chamber music series in Geneva and Spectrum Concerts Berlin, where he has appeared in every season since 2008. A fourth-generation musician, Boris started to play violin under the guidance of his grandfather, a student of Lev Tzeitlin and Abram Yampolsky. After graduating from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory where he studied with Maya Glezarova, Boris made his UK debut with the BBC Philharmonic conducted by Rumon Gamba and soon relocated to London. He completed his studies with David Takeno at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and has taught there himself from 2010 until 2016. In addition to the professorship at the GSMD, he also chaired a class at the Trinity College of Music in Greenwich and has given masterclasses all around the world, including South Korea, Thailand and Brazil.

In a unique collaboration, Kirill Gerstein teams up with his mentor and inspiration, the great Hungarian pianist Ferenc Rados, for an album of four-hand duets by Mozart. An icon for generations of musicians but one who has mostly avoided making recordings, this fascinating disc reveals Rados's distinctively characterful art at it's captivating best and finds both partners in a stimulating musical conversation.

'A golden despondency' is how Kevin Barnes translates the meaning behind Aureate Gloom, the title he gave Of Montreal's thirteenth full-length album. The oxymoron is one Barnes says best describes the overall state of his life and mental outlook while working on the record - penning lyrics so personal they sound like entries ripped from a journal that should be permanently kept under lock and key. 'I was going through a very stormy period in my life and felt like I was just completely trashed,' reveals Barnes. 'I might be guilty of sharing or exposing too much of my private life, but to me the best albums are those that help people connect with an artist on a deep, human level and that do so without too much artifice or evasiveness.' Aureate Gloom was recorded directly to tape with musicians Kevin Barnes (guitar, vocals), Clayton Rychlik (drums), Bob Parins (bass), Bennett Lewis (guitar), and JoJo Glide well (keys), plus the help of engineer Drew Vandenberg. The strength of the members' musical rapport was instantly apparent. The group completed nearly a song a day and even wrote a brand new track on the spot, 'Apollyon Of Blue Room,' whose title references a supposedly haunted bedroom in a hacienda on the studio grounds. With Aureate Gloom, Of Montreal have created one of the most unflinching, confessional and starkly emotional albums in their career.