Jenny Lin Plays Stravinsky Solo Piano Works

Product Description Most of Stravinsky's important solo piano works are on this disc, as well as Agosti's rarely recorded arrangement of the Firebird Suite.. '... surely one of the most interesting pianists in America right now.' - Washington Post. Review This album is a valuable reminder that Stravinsky himself was a serious pianist whose contributions to the repertoire consisted far more of his arrangement of three excerpts from his score for the "Petrushka" ballet, which seems to have become an irresistible magnet for just about every young pianist seeking to win a competition award...Lin has provided a valuable profile of this composer's work for solo piano, neither dismissing nor apotheosizing him but simply providing a set of highly engaging listening experiences. --Stephen Smoliar Most of Stravinsky's important solo piano works are on this disc, as well as Agosti's rarely recorded arrangement of the Firebird Suite... '...surely one of the most interesting pianists in America right now.' --Washington Post Stravinsky may not have written that many works for solo piano. But he left pianists some astonishing scores, especially the Piano Sonata and the Serenade in A, along with many smart shorter works and charming miniatures. The excellent and inquisitive American pianist Jenny Lin, born in Taiwan in 1973, plays just about the complete Stravinsky solo piano music on this impressive release, from Steinway & Sons, which some years ago started a recording label. --Anthony Tommasini, New York Times Artsbeat Jenny Lin's adventurous programming efforts turn to Igor Stravinsky, whose smaller-scale works tend to escape the spotlight. But Stravinsky's solo piano is packed with as much theatricality as his music for larger and louder forces. From instant to instant, these gestures can be comedic, raucous, rustic - and then suddenly intimate and moving. Most of the Russian master's important solo piano works are included on this disc, as well as Guido Agosti's rarely recorded arrangement of the Firebird Suite. This is the second Steinway release by Jenny Lin to be chosen as a Choice CD; you may remember her Get Happy - Virtuoso Show Tunes for Piano disc in December 2012 --WCLV Choice CD of the Month, May 2014 Artistic Quality: 10 / Sound Quallity: 10 - Stravinsky's piano works, slender as they are, have been very well served on disc, starting with Aleck Karis on Bridge and continuing with Victor Sangiorgio on Naxos. Add Jenny Lin to the list of first-rate Stravinsky interpreters. Each of these discs has a slightly different program, adding musical "meat" to the major works: the Piano Sonata of 1924, the Serenade in A , the Four Etudes, and Piano-Rag Music. Combined, these only comprise about 30 minutes of playing time. In order to bring this disc up to 64 minutes, Lin adds a selection of transcriptions, some of which are familiar (the Polka and Valse from the Second Suite for Small Orchestra, the Circus Polka, and Ragtime), and some of which are both rare and interesting. There's a bit of the Prologue from Boris Godunov, a couple of sketches for a late sonata, and most interesting, a transcription of three movements from the Firebird Suite (Danse infernale, Berceuse, and Finale) by Lin's teacher Guido Agosti, sanctioned by the composer. This latter is a real find, and a nice change of pace from the otherwise inevitable Three Movements from Petrushka. It's full of pianistic fireworks and Lin tosses it off with real bravura, albeit with understandably more rhythmic flexibility than we encounter in a typical orchestral performance. The music's cascades of notes also offer an interesting contrast to the more linear textures characteristic of the Sonata, and to much of the remaining program. In the later, neoclassical works, Lin proves equally adept at providing crisp articulation and lucid textures without letting the music turn cold and mechanical, as it easily can. In short, this is an extremely fine recital, and Lin's Steinway has been quite beautifully recorded at the Sono Luminus studios in Virginia. There may not be any major works here, but the program has been intelligently assembled and the result is both very refreshing and impossible to criticize. --ClassicsToday.com, David Hurwitz, April 2014
ASIN: B00I0VTPFM
VSKU: DBV.B00I0VTPFM.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:SCRIABIN / RAVEL
Binding: Audio cd
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