On 28 August the catalogue of the Mariinsky Theatre’s recording label sees a new addition. The latest disc features Rachmaninoff’s First Piano Concerto, Stravinsky’s Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra and Shchedrin’s Second Piano Concerto performed by the Mariinsky Orchestra under the baton of maestro Gergiev with soloist Denis Matsuev. The disc in SACD format may be ordered on the Mariinsky label’s official website as well as in iTunes format.
Pianist Denis Matsuev spoke of the latest release and his relationship with these works: “With this recording we wanted to present the works of great Russian composers from different periods. Rachmaninoff’s First Concerto is one of my favourite pieces. Rachmaninoff wrote it when he was still a student at the conservatoire, and despite his young years he was able to prove himself as an outstanding composer. Stravinsky’s Capriccio is a wonderful work with a stunning sense of humour. It is also very cinematographic – when you listen to this music it is easy to imagine different visual images and we have tried one way or another to convey these to the listeners. Shchedrin’s works have a special meaning for Russian music. The composer himself is always actively involved in rehearsals, we have the opportunity to speak with him, exchange ideas and discover what he wants from us. That is priceless.”
The recording is dedicated to the memory of Maya Plisetskaya (1925–2015), the wife of Rodion Shchedrin and a friend of the Mariinsky Theatre. Piano Concerto No 2, composed in 1966 and also dedicated to her, was recorded in the presence of Maya Plisetskaya at the Concert Hall of the Mariinsky Theatre in April this year not long before her death.
| user_name | | Exit |
