Unknown Rachmaninoff: Denis Matsuev's London concert and new CD
(November 2007)
Russian pianist Denis Matsuev performs rare Rachmaninoff in London concert and on new CD
Acclaimed Russian pianist Denis Matsuev performs an all-Rachmaninoff programme on 4 December at 7.30pm at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. His programme focuses on works that are less familiar to concert audiences including Piano Concerto No.1 with the Russian National Orchestra conducted by Dmitry Liss, the revised version of Piano Sonata No.2 and the recently rediscovered Suite for Piano in D minor. Tied in with the concert is the release of Matsuev's new Rachmaninoff disc on Sony BMG's RCA Red Seal label (88697155912).
First prize winner in the 1988 International Tchaikovsky Competition, Matsuev has established himself as one of the most sought after pianists of his generation. After his London debut in 2004, The Times noted: “perhaps he is the new Horowitz”. Since then, he has appeared in many prestigious concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Royal Festival Hall and Suntory Hall and has gained a formidable international reputation.
Alexandre Rachmaninoff, President of the Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation commented: "I am delighted that the Serge Rachmaninoff Foundation is able to support this concert by Denis Matsuev. This pianist has a special affinity with Rachmaninoff's music, as can be heard on his new Sony BMG CD recorded on the composer's own piano at the Villa Senar, and I am pleased his programme features works that may be unknown to London audiences".
Denis Matsuev, has not only chosen dynamic piano works by Rachmaninoff for his brand-new recording for Sony BMG, including two recently rediscovered works, but moreover performs them on the composer’s own piano in spectacular recordings made at the composer’s home in Lucerne. The CD features Rachmaninoff’s most virtuosic piano pieces, the Etudes-tableaux op.39 and Sonata No.2, op.36 (revised 1931 version) together with the hitherto unknown pieces, unearthed recently by the Rachmaninoff Foundation: the Fugue in D minor and the Piano Suite in D minor.
The original version of the Sonata No.2, op.36 was completed in 1913 and was later revised in 1931. It is a virtuosic piece on a par with his Piano Concertos and displays a richness of voice and complexity of rhythmical texture. The pieces comprising the Etudes-tableaux are short, yet equally technically challenging. The Suite in D minor was composed in 1891, the year Rachmaninoff graduated from the St. Petersburg Conservatory. This youthful adaptation of an orchestral suite already shows Rachmaninoff to be a composer of maturity in a transitional period between the classical and the more personal Russian style that was to follow. The Fugue in D minor was also composed that same year, featuring his typical Russian bell-like sound at the beginning. The recording ends with the two Préludes in G minor, (op.23, no.5) and G sharp minor, (op.32, no.12) from the composer’s sumptuous ‘middle’ period.
For further information on Rachmaninoff and his music contact:
David Allenby (Head of Publicity and Marketing) on david.allenby@boosey.com or 020 7054 7253
Pippa Patterson (Publicity Assistant) on pippa.patterson@boosey.com or 020 7054 7254
For further information on the new Sony BMG Rachmaninoff disc please contact
Karen Pitchford (Publicist, Sony BMG) on Karen.Pitchford@sonybmg.com
For concert tickets visit the South Bank Centre website
To purchase the new disc, visit Amazon (release 3 December 2007)
To purchase music by Rachmaninoff, including the recently rediscovered Suite and Fugue, visit our Online Shop.
> Further information on Work: Suite in D minor
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