Tchaikovsky: Lullaby

Zenph re-performances of Rachmaninoff playing his own works in crystal-clear sound - the third release from Zenph Studios and Sony Masterworks. Rachmaninoff Plays Rachmaninoff follows upon the success of Zenph Studios’ productions of Glenn Gould’s 1955 recording of The Goldberg Variations (2007) and Art Tatum’s Piano Starts Here (2008). This new compilation of re-performances is made from original masters that the Russian composer and pianist recorded during his lifetime. The recording features Rachmaninoff playing five of his own compositions: the Prelude in C-sharp minor; the Etudes Tableaux in C major and E-flat major, Op. 33; “Daisies”; and Moment Musical in E-flat minor, Op. 16. It also includes Rachmaninoff’s renditions of Kreisler’s Liebesleid and Liebesfreud; Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee; Mendelssohn’s scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Tchaikovsky’s Lullaby.

Nikolai Lugansky, now a household name on the international concert stage, began his recording career in his early twenties for the label Vanguard Classics. This Rachmaninov recital contains a lyrical and transparent performance of the famous Second Sonata, several song transcriptions, the Corelli Variations and a hair-raising performance of Mendelssohn's 'Scherzo' from Midsummer Night's Dream, surpassing even the composer himself in sparkling lightness and velocity. Nikolay Lugansky, hailed by his teachter Tatiana Nikolaeva as “the next one”, has made an impressive career, and performs with the world' s most famous orchestras and conductors. He records for Warner Classics.

First and only recording by Lugansky of this repertoire.