Rachmaninov preludes
Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
Hyperion Records CDA67700 | 77'53
GRAMOPHONE AWARD NOMINEE
CLASSICAL BRIT AWARD NOMINEE
INTERNATIONAL RECORD REVIEW 'OUTSTANDING' AWARD
PREISES DER DEUTSCHEN SCHALLPLATTENKRITIK
GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE INSTRUMENTAL CHOICE
THE TIMES CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK
THE SUNDAY TIMES CD OF THE WEEK
DAILY TELEGRAPH CD OF THE WEEK
MUSICAL OPINION RECORD OF THE MONTH
'Rachmaninoff's piano preludes are exercises in grand keyboard virtuosity but it's the rare pianist who can bring out the limpid grace and emotional transparency behind those flurries of notes. Steven Osborne is such an artist, as this ravishingly beautiful new disc demonstrates… the results are magnificent'
— San Francisco Chronicle
'The velvet tone with which Osborne caresses the tendrils of the melody at the beginning of op. 23/6, the stunning clarity of the gesture in op. 32/6 and the fingerwork in op. 32/8, the gloriously saturated climax of op. 31/13… the subtly of color and his unerring control of phrasing and dynamics over long musical spans, the lyricism never turns saccharine, the introspection never turns to self-pity, and the melancholy never glowering… Osborne is arguably at the top of the list'
— Fanfare
'Osborne's musicality is exquisite, addictive and sensational. This is a disc you'll want to listen to over and over again.'
— The Scotsman
'His dazzling technique illuminates the virtuosic allegro and allegretto sections, and his playing has a Rachmaninovian pliancy and beautifully achieved rubato in lyrical passages. One of the piano discs of the year.'
— The Times
'... playing which unfailingly gets to the heart of these remarkable pieces.'
— Telegraph
'...collectors seeking the best combination of sound and interpretation will gain long-lasting satisfaction from Osborne's formidable achievement.'
— Classics Today
'Outstanding Rachmaninov playing of acute perception, discretion and poetic sensibility, limpid, powerful and luminous in equal measure'
— BBC Music Magazine
'There are few pianists who offer such range and depth of palette: not even Ashkenazy's seminal reading … This has award-winner written all over it'
— Gramophone
'Extremely impressive all round … Osborne lavishes a remarkable level of authority on every one of these masterworks, playing with a rare combination of technical ease, tonal lustre and idiomatic identification.... In summary, Osborne goes from strength to strength as he moves through the cycle, wrapping up the final page of the concluding D flat prelude in a blaze of glory.'
— International Record Review
'This sensational pianist ... brings his technical wizardry and, above all, his penetrating musical intelligence to these much-recorded works of Rachmaninov. There's no indulgence and no piano bashing. In his combination of modesty, inner fire and natural virtuosity he brings to mind that other Rachmaninov master, Ashkenazy.'
— Observer
The brilliant Scottish pianist Steven Osborne ... scales the 24 preludes of the great Sergei ... with passion and authority.... Sorrow and sunlight, death and life: all Rachmaninov is here, in three dimensions, luscious colour and widescreen. A most exciting release.
— The Times
These are wonderfully natural performances: the best on disc since Vladimir Ashkenazy's set from the 1970s, with Osborne always alert to the variegated surfaces of the music, yet mindful of the deeper currents that run beneath.... A lovely disc.
— Guardian
Tracklisting
Prelude in C sharp minor Op 3 No 2
Ten Preludes op.23
No 1 in F sharp minor
No 2 in B flat major
No 3 in D minor
No 4 in D major
No 5 in G minor
No 6 in E flat major
No 7 in C minor
No 8 in A flat major
No 9 in E flat minor
No 10 in G flat major
Thirteen Preludes op.32
No 1 in C major
No 2 in B flat minor
No 3 in E major
No 4 in E minor
No 5 in G major
No 6 in F minor
No 7 in F major
No 8 in A minor
No 9 in A major
No 10 in B minor
No 11 in B major
No 12 in G sharp minor
No 13 in D flat major