We had the immense pleasure of recording Alexei Lubimov in Haarlem in the summer of 2009. From his Moscow premieres of John Cage and Terry Riley in 1968, by way of the Moscow Baroque Quartet of the 1970s and the avant-garde festival ‘Alternativa’ founded in 1988, to Schubert on period instruments in Haarlem in 2009 and a class on period and modern instruments at the Moscow Conservatory as well as a fortepiano class at the Salzburg Mozarteum - History with a capital H has loomed large in his life: through the era of the Iron Curtain, artistic isolation and the KGB via perestroika to the world of today. We met a man aged sixty-five, still alert, with an immense sensibility and an exceptionally open mind which enables him to run the gamut from Schubert to Silvestrov, Arvo Pärt, and Scriabin.
Alexei Lubimov belongs to the great russian tradition of musicians such as Richter, Gilels (Lubimov was one of the last student of Heinrich Neuhaus in Moscow) and to this generation of baroque pioneers together with Gustav Leonhardt, Juijken... He is also a major artist playing russian composers such as Denisov, Schnittke, Silvestrov... and Arvo Pärt...
Alexei Lubimov developed his outstanding international carrier with these three cultures in mind. He was in Brussels in 1968 to play Denisov piano pieces where he met the Kuijken brothers. He played John Cage and Terry Riley during the Soviet Union time. In the 70s, he created the Moscow Baroque Quartet with whom they discovered baroque music on period instruments. In the 80s, he created the avant-gardiste festival : Alternativa in Moscow together with a unique department of keyboards (old and new) at the Moscow Conservatory... Alexei Lubimov is also a teacher of pianoforte at the Salzbourg Mozarteum.
These impromptus 2010 bring a new interpretation, refined and powered by 20 years of praxis on period instruments and modern instruments, between tradition and avant-garde, Russia and Europe.
Premier Impromptu Op.90 D899: Allegro Molto Moderato En Ut Min
Second Impromptu Op.90 D899: Allegro En Mi Bémol Maj
Troisième Impromptu Op.90 D899: Andante Mosso En Sol Bémol Maj
Quatrième Impromptu Op.90 D899: Allegro En La Bémol Min
Premier Impromptu Op.142 D935: Allegro Moderato En Fa Min
Second Impromptu Op.142 D935: Allegretto En La Bémol Maj
Troisième Impromptu Op.142 D935: Andante En Si Bémol Maj
“Educated in the Soviet school of vividly coloured pianism, Alexei Lubimov brings muscularity and vision to the fortepiano.It took five years just to find the right instruments for this recording...and the result is breathtaking.”
21st February 2010
****
“This disc is not just a sonic exhibition...but a series of deeply satisfying, expressive performances.”
May 2010
*****
“...this is altogether a beautiful recital by a master-pianist and while there's no shortage of fine recordings of these famous pieces, there has been none in my experience to equal Lubimov on instruments of Schubert's great day.”
August 2010
“Lubimov's C minor Impromptu boasts powerful dynamic surging...his curvaceous rubatos and accentuations lend interest to the A flat minor”
The Independent on Sunday
26th December 2010
“Alexei Lubimov pitched muscular pianism against the delicate fortepianos of Müller and Schantz in his peerless recording of Schubert's Impromptus, my disc of the year.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
Premier Impromptu Op.90 D899: Allegro Molto Moderato En Ut Min
