Rachmaninov: Melodie in E Major, Op. 3 No. 3

This third volume of Rachmaninov’s Victor recordings contains discs he made of his own solo compositions and arrangements from the introduction of electrical recording in 1925 to a year before his death.

The works recorded were those most in demand by the public, each piece subject to Rachmaninov’s perfectionism and the version released always the best of a number of takes (for example, the recording of his famous Prelude in C sharp minor is Take 23).

Whether it be in the 1925 recording of his transcription of Kreisler’s Liebesfreud or the February 1942 recording of the same work (in which he displays a cast iron technique only a year before his death), the sheer virtuosity, utter clarity and supreme musicianship of Rachmaninov’s playing style are undiminished.

The first two releases in this series have been acclaimed for their superb remastering.

Ward Marston, producer and audio restoration engineer

In his second solo recital disc for Signum, this release demonstrates Alessio Bax’s dazzling skill and flair in performance and interpretation – this time with Rachmaninov’s piano works. The programme is centered around the Preludes Op.23, but takes in a broad selection of his other studies, etudes, melodies and transcriptions. Bax describes the programme as being a collection of ‘Visions and Landscapes’.

The piano music of Rachmaninov explores the registral capabilities of the modern piano in a fascinating manner. Rachmaninov’s artistic idiom is rich in references to traditional Russian music. It is, however, counter-pointed by a progressive chromaticism set in a neo-classical framework. Rachmaninov incorporates haunting melodies, thick chordal textures and distinct rhythmic patterns – all of which are held in a musical architecture marked by astounding economy.

Rachmaninov was a remarkable artist: he excelled in the fields of composing, performing and conducting. His playing indeed, along with the size of his hands, has become legendary. As a composer Rachmaninov is famous for his symphonies, concerti and instrumental music. In addition, his songs and sacred music have recently gained recognition as important areas of his oeuvre.

David Geringas studied at the Moscow Conservatoire with Rostropovich and has received a number of awards for his recordings. He has had several contemporary works dedicated to him including the Cello Concerto by Peteris Vasks.

Few artists manage to keep up two careers at the speed that Patrick Rapold does. Born into an actor’s family in 1975, he studied acting in Hannover and Zurich and at the European Film Actor School in Zurich. Since then, he has appeared in more than 30 films for cinema and television. As of 1996, he started giving solo concerts on the piano both at home in Switzerland and abroad.

On La Campanella, his first album for Sony Classical, Patrick has regrouped some of the most famous piano encores in the catalogue. Bizet’s Carmen Variations and Chopin’s Prélude op. 28 No.20 along with Schubert’s Soirée de Vienne in Liszt’s adaptation of the piece, and obviously Liszt’s famous La Campanella – the title piece making this album a selection of some of the most highly esteemed Romantic piano works to date. Patrick Rapold resides in Zurich and Los Angeles.