I was surprised and delighted to find that Sony has recently remastered this historical treasure in Spatial Audio… if you’ve been looking for a reason to upgrade to Dolby Atmos, here it is!
Sudbin’s Scriabin is Still On Fire
One of Yevgeny Sudbin’s earliest successes as an up-and-coming star of the BIS label was a recital of solo piano works by Scriabin. That was in 2007, and it was a bold statement of his affinity for Scriabin’s intensely original post-romantic mysticism. Now, almost twenty years on, he has returned to Scriabin with an even […]
Bertrand Chamayou Plays Ravel Like You’ve Never Heard
Let me get straight to the heart of the matter here, and sing the praises of Bertrand Chamayou’s stunning performance of Ravel’s La Valse, which is indeed the heart of this album’s shining contribution to the celebration of Ravel’s 150th birthday this year. As Chamayou’s liner notes tell us, the pianist’s opportunity in tackling Ravel’s […]
Raphael Pichon Produces a Bold New Mozart Requiem
Raphaël Pichon’s new take on Mozart’s Requiem isn’t just novel. It’s a revelation. The first thing we hear, a pure boy treble voice intoning the plainchant In Paradisum, is cut short abruptly by a bracing four-voice canon. It’s not what we are expecting! This isn’t perhaps a shock, considering the source: since they were founded, […]
Robert Levin Finds New Life in Mozart… on a Tangent
Straight up, I wasn’t expecting a lot from this release. I admire and enjoy recordings by the Academy of Ancient Music and fortepiano specialist Robert Levin – a lot! But this latest release in their long running traversal of all of Mozart’s piano concertos looked (on paper) like an obligatory catch-up volume as they approach […]
