Udagawa / Berezovsky - Violin Son & Dances from Gayaneh & Spartacus - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Participation in the Chopin competition often implies the danger of falling into a concert routine. Numerous participants, wanting to stay in the pianistic market at all costs, concentrate mainly on the performance of the works of the patron of the Warsaw event. Radoslaw Sobczak, one of the most interesting contemporary Polish pianists, has been consistently breaking out of this scheme for many years, presenting the audience with an extremely versatile repertoire. After two critically acclaimed albums with music by Paderewski and Szymanowski, Radoslaw Sobczak decided to record the seventeen Etudes by Marcin Lukaszewski, widely regarded as one of the most interesting composers of his generation.

Unfairly named 'The Lady with the Hammer' for her uncompromising use of massive thunderous chords and ostinato rhythms, Ustvolskaya was a pupil of Shostakovich but forged her own unique way into many genres. Recently, artists have concentrated, as here, on bringing out the richness of the works and their innate lyricism. This album includes all of the composer's music for violin and piano in two major works - the Sonata and the Duet. Russian violinist Evgeny Sorkin was a child prodigy and performed for Isaac Stern at the age of 10 and was compared at 16 to David Oistrakh by no less than Yehudi Menuhin. He moved to Australia and balanced teaching at Sydney Conservatory with a busy recital schedule. Natalia Andreeva is a Russian pianist who is currently Lecturer in Piano at the University of Sydney, Australia. Her 2015 recording of the complete solo piano music of Galina Ustvolskaya was very well received; she is a pianist of consummate skill who can express the power and lyricism which exist side by side in these works.

Casadesus / Francescatti - Complete Sonatas for Violin [COMPACT DISCS] date 08/08/2007