Anna Vinnitskaya, Krzysztof Urbanski – Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 (2017) [FLAC 24bit/48kHz]

Serge Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto might never have seen the light of day had it not been for hypnosis: before the twenty-seven-year-old composer began work on it, he was on his last legs – financially, artistically and psychologically. Dr Nikolay Dahl hypnotised his patient every day, whispering to him: ‘You will write your concerto. You will work with great fluency. The concerto will be of excellent quality.’ The creative block disappeared, and the concerto’s premiere in Moscow in 1901 was a triumph for Rachmaninov, who played the solo part himself. Anna Vinnitskaya says she feels ‘a spring-like atmosphere’ in this work: throughout there is a sense of movement, of awakening. The music passes through the most contrasting psychological landscapes, but moves towards clarity and light. Rachmaninov composed the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in 1934, ten years before his death. Brahms, Liszt, Lutosławski and Andrew Lloyd Webber are among the remarkable roll call of composers inspired by Paganini’s theme. The Russian pianist and the Polish conductor Krzysztof Urbański have often played Rachmaninoff together, on every continent. The two artists, both of whom present here their third disc for Alpha, were reunited in the NDR studios in Hamburg to record this repertory that fits them like a glove.

Tracklist:
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 – 1943)
01. Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: I. Moderato
02. Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: II. Adagio sostenuto
03. Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: III. Allegro scherzando
04. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Introduction (Allegro vivace)-Variation 1. Precedente
05. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Tema (L’istesso tempo)
06. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 2. L’istesso tempo
07. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 3. L’istesso tempo
08. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 4. Più vivo
09. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 5. Tempo precedente
10. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 6. L’istesso tempo
11. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 7. Meno mosso (A tempo moderato)
12. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 8. Tempo I
13. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 9. L’istesso tempo
14. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 10. L’istesso tempo
15. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 11. Moderato
16. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 12. Tempo di minuetto
17. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 13. Allegro
18. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 14. L’istesso tempo
19. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 15. Più vivo scherzando
20. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 16. Allegretto
21. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 17. Allegretto
22. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 18. Andante cantabile
23. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 19. A tempo vivace
24. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 20. Un poco più vivo
25. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 21. Un poco più vivo
26. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 22. Un poco più vivo (Alla breve)
27. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 23. L’istesso tempo
28. Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation 24. A tempo un poco meno mosso