À la russe Alexandre Kantorow

• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28:
• 1 Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28: I. Allegro moderato 15:16
• 2 Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28: II. Lento 09:29
• 3 Rachmaninoff: Piano Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, Op. 28: III. Allegro molto 14:01
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840-1893): 18 Pieces, Op. 72, TH 151:
• 4 Tchaikovsky: 18 Pieces, Op. 72, TH 151: No. 5, Méditation 05:09
• 5 Tchaikovsky: 18 Pieces, Op. 72, TH 151: No. 17, Passé lointain 04:20
• Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): The Firebird (Arr. G. Agosti for Piano):
• 6 Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite (1919 Version) [Arr. for Piano by G. Agosti]: III. Infernal Dance 04:44
• 7 Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite (1919 Version) [Arr. for Piano by G. Agosti]: IV. Lullaby 04:03
• 8 Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite (1919 Version) [Arr. for Piano by G. Agosti]: V. Finale 03:24
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: 2 Pieces, Op. 1:
• 9 Tchaikovsky: 2 Pieces, Op. 1: No. 1, Scherzo à la russe, TH 124 06:38
• Mily Alexeyevich Balakirev (1837 - 1910): Islamey, Op. 18:
• 10 Balakirev: Islamey, Op. 18 08:16
• Total Runtime 01:15:20

Info for À la russe

Alexandre Kantorow released his first disc for BIS in 2016, performing Liszt’s piano concertos to critical acclaim: ‘I’m here to tell you that Alexandre Kantorow is Liszt reincarnated’ wrote one impressed reviewer, in Fanfare Magazine. Not yet 20 years old, the French pianist and son of violinist and conductor Jean-Jacques Kantorow now explores his Russian roots, in a recital that opens with Rachmaninov’s weighty First Piano Sonata, inspired by Goethe’s play Faust, and its three main characters, the scholar Faust, his beloved Gretchen and Mephistopheles, the Devil’s emissary.

The nostalgic intimacy of Méditation and Passé lointain, from Tchaikovsky’s Op. 72 collection, offers respite from the drama, but tension returns with Guido Agosti’s virtuosic piano arrangement of three extracts from Stravinsky’s Firebird. Kantorow closes his Russian recital with Mily Balakirev’s ‘oriental fantasy’ Islamey, one of the iconic works of the piano literature. Fiendishly difficult, the piece famously inspired Ravel to write something that would be even harder to play (his Gaspard de la nuit). A committed Russian nationalist, Balakirev himself found the inspiration for Islamey during a journey to the Caucasus when he was introduced to the local music tradition.

Alexandre Kantorow, piano

Alexandre Kantorow
Having brought out his first CD last year to critical acclaim, Alexandre has released his second, on the BIS label, that onsist of three of Liszt’s piano concertos, recorded in Finland with the Tapiola Sinfonietta under his father, conductor Jean-Jacques Kantorow.

Alexandre has been performing these concertos live as part of his international concert schedule, taking in Osaka, Japan, under Augustin Dumay, and Taipei, Taiwan. He’ll also be playing other pieces by Liszt nearer to home, on tour with the Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire.

France gets a new concert hall this year, in the form of the much anticipated Philharmonie de Paris, and Alexandre has performed Beethoven’s Choral Fantasy there as part of the inaugural season.

Brahms is another of Alexandre’s favourite composers, and he is looking forward to performing his Piano Concerto No. 2 early in the year.

Born in Paris in 1997, Alexandre fits his many professional engagements around his studies at the Paris Conservatoire, under Franck Braley. A full-time career as a soloist beckons, but Alexandre still enjoys performing with other musicians too. LAst summer, for example, he’ll be playing chamber music at festivals in France, as well as performing Addinsell’s film music the Warsaw Concerto, and Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue in its original version with jazz band.

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