Dmitri Shostakovich

Shostakovich composed his first piano trio after being sent to Crimea to recover from tuberculosis. There he fell in love with the daughter of a Moscow professor and began to compose the trio, a passionate work representing a vital stage in his development towards his First Symphony. Years later, in the midst of the 2nd World War, he completed his second piano trio which was born out of the appalling sufferings of his fellow-countrymen and reflected the loss of his closest friend, the writer Ivan Sollertinsky, who died unexpectedly in the middle of Shostakovich’s work on the trio.

Schnittke's only piano trio originated as a string trio. Written to mark the centenary of Alban Berg in 1985, Schnittke in it ‘avoided his trademark stylistic confrontations and direct quotations, preferring subtle allusions to the world of the Viennese classics, especially Schubert’ (David Fanning). Soon after completing the trio, Schnittke suffered the first of a series of massive strokes, but in 1992 he revisited the work, dedicating the version for piano trio to his doctor, Alexander Potapov.

On a previous disc, the Kempf Trio has released two other Russian piano trios – those of Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov – in performances described as ‘fiery, cogent, intelligent and wholly compelling' - Evening Standard, and ‘a triumph' - The Strad. In the present, no less impassioned and passionate programme, we hear the swan-song of this fine ensemble, which was recently dissolved.

Shostakovich composed many ballet scores, which kept the income flowing in and also kept him in the good books of the increasingly brutal dictatorship of Josef Stalin as many of these ballets were little more than Soviet propaganda exercises. The subject matter ranged from romantic comedies set on collective farms, a story about the Soviet football team, to a comedy set in an industrial complex under threat of sabotage. In 1936 he had sailed perilously close to the wind and had his opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk banned by the authorities. His Fourth Symphony was also withdrawn and had to wait until 1963 for its premiere. Shostakovich’s original ballet scores such as The Bolt and The Golden Age are reasonably well known. However, works such as The Limpid Stream are less well known. Early in the 1950s the composer allowed Levon Atovmyan to arrange all the scores in four ballet suites for large orchestra.

These suites raided the scores of the ballets and the numerous film scores. In the early 1960 new ballets were devised for the music. The most successful was Baryishnya I khuligan (The Lady and the Hooligan), a one-act ballet of 13 numbers, and is a story of a young lady who is sent as a supply teacher to a school where a violent gang form most of the class. A bond develops between her and one of the boys, but on day the gang attempt to mug the teacher. The boy defends her, and is beaten senseless by his ‘friends’ and dies in the young lady’s arms. Much of the music for the ballet is from other works, The Limpid Stream, the Cello Sonata and The Bolt in particular, but also from the famous romance from The Gadfly film score.

This release is the first in a projected series exploring Russian Piano Music. This recording gathers together four Russian composers who were contemporaries and also Britain’s leading composerpianist, Ronald Stevenson, who is highly revered by Russian piano scholars (his piece Recitative and Air was commissioned by the Union of Soviet composers, and in fact became an ‘In memoriam’ elegy on the sudden death of the Soviet master).

Of the six featured pieces, those by Myaskovsky, Stevenson and Shchedrin are otherwise unavailable elsewhere in the catalogues. The booklet contains highly informative notes by Murray Mclachlan.

As a concert artist Murray McLachlan has received outstanding critical acclaim for intelligent and sensitive interpretations and superb technical ability. His prolific discography, mostly for Divine Art, Olympia and Dunelm, has received long-standing international recognition and includes over thirty commercial recordings, including the complete sonatas of Beethoven and Prokofiev and many rarities.

Murray McLachlan has given first performances of works by many composers, including Martin Butler, Ronald Stevenson, Charles Camilleri, Michael Parkin and even Beethoven! He is Head of keyboard at Chetham’s School of Music and tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, as well as Artistic Director both of the Chetham’s International Summer School and Festival for Pianists, an event which attracts outstanding musicians annually from all over the world, and the Manchester International Concerto Competition for Young Pianists, which began in 2007.

30 CD + 1 CD ROM - CD-ROM contains notes on artists and concertos.

For anyone who loves the piano concerto, this 30CD set is a must-have. Containing the complete Beethoven cycle recorded by Brendel in the 1960s for Vox, the set also includes Tacchino’s pioneering set for the same label of the five Saint-Saëns concertos, and the complete Rachmaninoff concertos performed by Lugansky and Lill.

‘This performance gave me real pleasure. Brendel plays with a mixture of heart and head that is most satisfying, to which he adds countless touches of pianism that delight. He constantly throws light on the music by an interpretation that is clearly born of much thought about it and a deep understanding. The firstmovement is virile, the slow movement is most beautiful (I cannot imagine the solo opening better judged or more sympathetically played) and the finale goes at just the right speed, jaunty and pointed.’ Gramophone review, Brendel, Beethoven Concerto No.3

The 18th century is the starting point for this fabulous journey through the development of the piano concerto – Haydn’s delectable concertos and all Mozart’s 27, including the first four concertos. Kissin’s Tchaikovsky No.1 and Prokofiev No.3 can also be found here as well as his recording at the age of 12 of the two Chopin concertos, alongside rarities such as Field’s Concertos 5 & 6, and Weber’s three underrated concertos. Mendelssohn’s two brilliant concertos, the two huge masterworks by Brahms, Dvorák’s elusive G major Concerto with its beautiful slow movement, and the evergreen Schumann and Grieg ensure that this set will provide endless pleasure for the enthusiast.

A new collection of some of Joshua Bell's greatest performances in a specially priced 3-CD set. Features Joshua Bell in concertos, chamber works and solo pieces drawn from his Decca catalogue. Includes recordings personally selected by Joshua Bell.

This version of the 5th Symphony was authorized by the composer. It represents a reduction of a real orchestral sound – a romantic expression of will, one which exploits the possibilities of the instrument to the full, and beyond maybe, too.