Ravel - Piano Concertos; De Falla - Nights in the Gardens of Spain
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
- PRESTO CLASSICAL, TOP 100 RECORDINGS OF THE YEAR 2017
- RADIO 3 RECORD REVIEW DISC OF THE WEEK
‘Both the Ravel Concertos are perfectly suited to Osborne’s piano playing and in particular the Piano Concerto for the left hand; he captures the sweep of this music with an incredible sense of structure and where it’s going. It’s a very intellectual and well thought-out performance’ (BBC Radio 3 CD Review)
‘These are strong performances of a programme that bears repeated listening’ (BBC Music Magazine)
‘A thrilling new recording of this piano-concerto-in-all-but-name from Steven Osborne and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra under the suave baton of the French conductor Ludovic Morlot’ (The Times)
‘Osborne has a great time with the Spanish dance flavour of the [Falla], perfectly complementing the concertos of the composer’s slightly older contemporary’ (The Sunday Times)
‘[Steven Osborne's] playing is quietly sensitive … precise and thoughtful’ (Financial Times)
‘The 'Concerto for the Left Hand' is done with élan and rhythmic zest, and Osborne flies through the massive challenges of the grand coda. The BBC Scottish SO is a sensitive partner’ (Pianist)
‘Osborne, in the best ‘Casadesus’ tradition, well convinces us that the natural flow of melodic tissue in the one hand imitates the conventional sonority achieved by both hands’ (Audiophile Audition, USA)
‘This is the one to have’ (International Piano)
‘For all the dark drama, there is much quiet poetry in Osborne's performance as well as a rhythmically perky, almost cheeky, march. There are big bravura moments, but it is the sense of thoughtful poetry and delicate transparency which are most striking’ (Planet Hugill)
‘The performances of all three works are absolutely excellent. Steven Osborne is superb … this disc is a winner’ (MusicWeb International)
‘Ludovic Morlot’s BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra are deft partners, the jazzy central section nicely pointed. Osborne's thunderous cadenza is magnificent, and the work’s close overwhelms’ (TheArtsDesk.com)
‘Osborne’s power and compassion … offers a library-choice version that is partnered intensely and with a wide dynamic range by Morlot’ (Classical Source)
‘Time and again whilst listening I had to dash to my score to check that everything I could hear was actually being played by just the one hand! More importantly, though, Osborne doesn’t just treat it as a series of notes: he always manages to maintain the line, and to bring out each phrase effortlessly, no matter what else may be going on at the same time!’ (Presto Classical)
„Das Duo Osborne-Morlot sucht aber eher nach Farben, nach Poesie (und Osborne findet sehr viel davon!), so dass eine ungemein fantasievolle Interpretation zustande kommt“ (Pizzicato, Luxembourg)
Tracklisting
Ravel - Piano Concerto in G
Allegramente
Adagio assai
Presto
De Falla - Noches en los jardines de España
En el Generalife
Danza lejana
En los jardines de la Sierra de Córdoba
Ravel - Piano Concerto for the left hand in D major