Various Artists - Reimagine - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Acclaimed pianist Inna Faliks breaks new ground with REIMAGINED on Navona Records, an homage to Beethoven and Ravel which manages to do the impossible be breathtakingly innovative while remaining respectful to the source material. Nine contemporary composers, including Richard Danielpour, Paola Prestini, Billy Childs, and Timo Andres, were commissioned to craft responses to Ludwig van Beethoven's Bagatelles, op. 126 (incidentally, the master's favorite) as well as Maurice Ravel's Gaspard de la Nuit. The results are exhilarating, not least owing to Faliks's stunningly precise and sensitive pianistic interpretation the Ukrainian-born American pianist ties together Classical, Romantic and modern pieces with disarming nonchalance and rock-solid technical skill. Defying the challenge of uniting three centuries of musical styles and social commentary, as well as producing an album during a global pandemic with the help of Yamaha's Disklavier technology, REIMAGINED proudly raises a monument not only to the genius of Beethoven and Ravel, but also to the perseverance and verve of some of today's most exciting and important composers. Album Tracks 1. Bagatelle (after Beethoven's Bagatelle Opus 126 #1) 2. Bagatelle Opus 126~#1 Andante con moto, cantabile e compiacevole 3. Bagatelle (after Beethoven's Bagatelle Opus 126 #2) 4. Bagatelle Opus 126~#2 Allegro 5. Bagatelle - Childhood Nightmare (after Beethoven's Bagatelle Opus 126 #3) 6. Bagatelle Opus 126~#3 Cantabile e grazioso 7. Etude 2A - 'Ad Fugam' on a Non-Octave-Replicating Mode (after Beethoven's Bagatelle Opus 126 #4) 8. Bagatelle Opus 126~#4 Presto 9. Sweet Nothings (after Beethoven's Bagatelle Opus 126 #5) 10. Bagatelle Opus 126~#5 Quasi allegretto 11. Bagatelle (After Beethoven's Bagatelle Opus 126 #6) 12. Bagatelle Opus 126~#6 Presto-andante amabile e con moto 13. Variations on a Spell (