Chopin: Prelude Op. 28 No. 2 in A minor - download (MP3 & FLAC)

Hélène Tysman has the ability to take the listener’s hand, at the outset of a Prélude or of a Sonata movement, and to lead and hold your attention until the very last bar, due to the outstanding range of colours she conjures up. She studied at the Paris Conservatory and has performed with many orchestras including the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.

This second volume of Moiseiwitsch’s Chopin recordings focuses on the complete Préludes, Op. 28, which the great pianist had attempted to record, unsuccessfully, with the acoustic process, and the Four Ballades. The recording of the complete Préludes is one of the most satisfactory on disc, as Moiseiwitsch captures perfectly the mood of each of these miniature masterpieces. The slower preludes in particular show Moiseiwitsch’s understanding of musical phrasing linked to harmonic progressions. The recording of the Ballade No. 4, his only 78rpm recording of the work, derives from a test pressing. All tracks were recorded in Studio 3, Abbey Road, London

Greek pianist Paris Tsenikoglou won first prize at the Athens International Piano Competition in 2001 at the young age of 12 years old, having given his first public recital at the age of 11 performing Bach’s Goldberg variations amongst other works.

Revered pianist, Rebecca Penneys, celebrates 30 years at the Chautauqua Institution with this stunning Bicentennial Tribute to Chopin and Schumann.

“Penneys offers an extraordinary collection of performances displaying an astonishing control over piano sound. It is absolutely gorgeous and full of unimaginable colors. She sings through the instrument, seemingly without effort. Her playing is simply revelatory.” – American Record Guide

In June 2011, Beatrice Rana, then 18, became the youngest-ever winner of a first prize at the Montreal International Music Competition. She also won each of that year’s special prizes. She is, said Le Devoir, “not only a pianist but, above all, an artist.” Her ATMA solo CD is dedicated to Chopin’s Preludes Op. 28 and Scriabin’s Sonata No. 2 Op.19 — thrilling repertoire for an outstanding young pianist.

Beatrice Rana made her debut last season with several orchestras, including the Orchestra Internazionale d’Italia, the Südwestdeutsche Orchester, and the Aarhus Symfonieorkester in Denmark. She also performed as a guest artist with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, the symphony orchestras of Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg, the Kuala Lumpur Philharmonic Orchestra, the Violons du Roy, and the Orchestre Métropolitain with Yannick Nézet-Seguin.

Beatrice Rana made her debut last season with several orchestras, including the Orchestra Internazionale d’Italia, the Südwestdeutsche Orchester, and the Aarhus Symfonieorkester in Denmark. She also performed as a guest artist with the Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, the symphony orchestras of Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg, the Kuala Lumpur Philharmonic Orchestra, the Violons du Roy, and the Orchestre Métropolitain with Yannick Nézet-Seguin.

In addition to her First Prize in the Montreal Piano Competition last year, Rana has won numerous prizes at international competitions such as the Muzio Clementi Competion, the Concours International de San Marino, and the Bang & Olufsen Piano RAMA Competion.

She began studying piano when she was 4, and became a student of Benedetto Lupo at the Conservatorio Nino Rota, from which she graduated at the precocious age of 16. She now studies in Hanover with Arie Vardi.

This double-CD set includes all of Ivo Pogorelich’s solo Chopin recordings: complete sets of Preludes and Scherzos, the “Funeral March” Sonata – in a recital that includes Etudes, the Polonaise op. 44 and the timeless E-flat Nocturne op. 55 no. 2. Pogorelich brings all of his magnificent technique and virtuosity to these masterpieces.

”Second to none in sheer keyboard brilliance … everything he does is always done with princely authority.” (Gramophone)

Chopin’s 24 Preludes Op.28 are written in the tradition of J S Bach and this work is particularly attractive to organists. The pieces have been adapted for organ, but Gunther Rost has not changed the musical texts. He performs on the Seifert organ in the Church of the Virgin Mary in Kevelaer which is the largest romantic German organ in the world.