Alexander Paley – Tchaikovsky: Grande Sonate & The Seasons (2014) [FLAC 24bit/88,2kHz]

This album marks the great return to recording of the Moldovan pianist Alexander Paley, who now divides his time between the United States and France. He pays tribute here to Tchaikovsky, a composer whose music he has performed ever since he was a student at the Moscow Conservatory. His performances are a reference!

„It takes pluck as well as a strong temperament to tackle Tchaikovsky’s vast, four-movement Grand Sonata, written in 1878 and first performed the following year by Anton Rubinstein. Paley takes up the challenge with impressive ardour and finesse. This ‘orchestral’ sonata in G major does not serve as an excuse for an unleashing of the decibels; he prefers to highlight its abundance of ideas, with a perfect sense of punctuation, and to explore the timbres. What tenderness and poetry, too, when necessary! What skill in bringing out the echoes of the ballet, scattered throughout a work in which, over thirty-five minutes, Paley builds up a real drama. Musically and pianistically stunning!“ (Alain Cochard)

Tracklist:
01. Grande Sonate in G Major, Op. 37: I. Moderato e risoluto
02. Grande Sonate in G Major, Op. 37: II. Andante
03. Grande Sonate in G Major, Op. 37: III. Scherzo
04. Grande Sonate in G Major, Op. 37: IV. Finale
01. The Seasons, 12 characteristic pieces for solo piano, Op. 37b: I. At the fireside (January)
02. The Seasons, 12 characteristic pieces for solo piano, Op. 37b: II. Carnival (February)
03. The Seasons, 12 characteristic pieces for solo piano, Op. 37b: III. Song of the skylark (March)
04. The Seasons, 12 characteristic pieces for solo piano, Op. 37b: IV. Snowdrop (April)
05. The Seasons, 12 characteristic pieces for solo piano, Op. 37b: V. Bright nights of May (May)
06. The Seasons, 12 characteristic pieces for solo piano, Op. 37b: VI. Barcarolle (June)
07. The Seasons, 12 characteristic pieces for solo piano, Op. 37b: VII. Song of the reaper (July)
08. The Seasons, 12 characteristic pieces for solo piano, Op. 37b: VIII. Harvest (August)
09. The Seasons, 12 characteristic pieces for solo piano, Op. 37b: IX. The hunt (September)
10. The Seasons, 12 characteristic pieces for solo piano, Op. 37b: X. Autums Song (October)
11. The Seasons, 12 characteristic pieces for solo piano, Op. 37b: XI. Troika (November)
12. The Seasons, 12 characteristic pieces for solo piano, Op. 37b: XII. Yuletide (December)