Rachmaninov - Piano Sonata no.1 and Moments Musicaux
- GRAMOPHONE EDITOR’S CHOICE
- BBC RECORD REVIEW RECORDING OF THE WEEK
- NEW YORKER NOTABLE RECORDINGS OF 2022
‘Osborne works wonders as he renders the monstrously dense textures of the sonata pellucid and lends its meandering melodies direction, meanwhile giving the finale its full measure of infernal madness. Resisting every temptation to overplay, Osborne shapes confusion into dramatic purpose, lovingly enveloping the whole in imaginative insight … one is left wondering where, in the first quarter of the 21st century, one might turn for more idiomatic, more intelligent or more beautiful Rachmaninov-playing’ (Gramophone)
‘There seems to be an opinion that the first sonata is a bit too long, a bit too diffuse … but this performance really changed my idea of it … it’s just fantastic playing. It’s beautiful—even when it’s loud and demonic, it never loses a sense of beauty. The piano tone is lovely, there’s a huge conviction and mastery, and it’s just a fantastic performance of this sonata … I can’t imagine this being better played’ (BBC Record Review)
‘Osborne’s readings of this repertoire are generously but never sentimentally nuanced and inflected. His sonority ranges from a roaring torrent of sound to the merest whisper, while his complete command of voicings brings crystal clarity to Rachmaninov’s idiosyncratic polyphony. All this is true of his performance of the Sonata in D minor, which emerges as a towering Romantic masterpiece … Osborne trumps all aces. His playing, heard in Hyperion’s magnificent sound, is of an authority beyond authority’ (International Piano)
‘The practicality and professionalism [of the Moments musicaux] is covered over by the subtlety of Osborne’s deft and immersive interpretation. The 3rd Moment, in B minor, is one to savour for years to come. I wish I had a sixth star to award’ (Ludwig Van, Canada) *****
‘Marvel upon marvel informs Steven Osborne’s performance of Piano Sonata No 1 … Osborne is very revealing of the work’s narrative powers and had me listening anew as revelation follows revelation: great playing, inspired interpretation, darkly lyrical, flamboyantly propulsive, sensitive and ppp, demonstrative and fff, with plenty in between’ (colinscolumn.com)
‘If anything defines Steven Osborne’s distinctive brand of pianism it’s the mesmerising totality of his awesome technique and penetrating musicianship. It is nothing short of all-consuming in this powerful, authoritative new recording…. The sonata performance – a vast, Faustian symphonic discourse embodying the gurgling turbulence of the opening movement, the lyrical intensity of the Lento and the tumultuous struggle and victory of the finale – is mind-blowing perfection with an encyclopedic rage of sonorities, Lisztian in spirit. The Moments Musicaux are more Chopinesque in their intimate honesty, though Osborne observes with breathtaking detail their rich expressive possibilities.’ (The Scotsman)
Tracklisting
Piano Sonata no.1 in D minor
i Allegro moderato
ii Lento
iii Allegro molto
Prelude in D minor op. posth.
Fragments
Oriental Sketch
Nunc dimittis
Moments Musicaux
i Andantino
ii Allegretto
iii Andante cantabile
iv Presto
v Adagio sostenuto
vi Maestoso