Conceived, recorded and produced by Giulio Cesare Ricci Recorded at Teatro Persio Flacco in Volterra (PI) Recording date November 2010 Recording assistant Paola Liberato Tube microphones Neumann U47, U48, M49 Mike pre-amplifiers, line, digital, microphone, supply cables Signoricci Recorded in stereo DSD on the Pyramix Recorder using dCS A/D and D/A converters A special thanks to Piergiovanni Marchi President of Accademia dei Riuniti – Teatro Persio Flacco for the open welcoming during the period when the recording has been taking place.
Alexander Scriabine (1872-1915) Alexander Scriabine was born in Moscow where he studied and then taught for 7 years. Considered as one of the forerunners of 20th-century music, his first compositions were nevertheless influenced by Chopin and Liszt. Famous pianists, Vladimir Sofronitski, Samuel Feinberg, and Vladimir Horowitz were enthusiastic about his works and contributed to make them known. Scriabin wrote the Nocturne for the left-hand op 9 in 1894 while suffering from neurological problems in his right hand. The style recalls Liszt’s, with lyrical phrases and cadences of great virtuosity. The Etude n° 10 op 8, Allegro, alternates staccato and legato. Most famous and impressive, the Etude n°12, op 8 (Pathetic) is frequently compared to the Revolutionary Etude by Chopin. The third of this recording, the Etude n° 5, op 42, Affanato, is frequently performed despite its demanding virtuosity.
Sergej Rachmaninov (1873-1943) Young Rachmaninov, a brilliant pianist and composer, was unanimously acclaimed by Russian critics. Composing in the romantic tradition of Liszt and Anton Rubinstein, he was encouraged by Tchaikowski. His style, from the early Pieces op 3 (1892) reached full maturity in the Preludes and the Etudes-tableaux written between 1910 and 1916. Rachmaninov left Russia in 1917 and essentially performed in concerts abroad. His music allies virtuosity and harmony, with the bell-like sounds that he became famous for. Elegy n°1 op 3 is a very simple and moving melody with deep and warm sounds. The Prelude n° 1 op 3, became so popular that Rachmaninov had to play it at the end of almost every performance. The Prelude n°6 op. 23, is a quiet “rêverie”, whereas the famous Prelude n°5 op 23 alternates rhythmical parts with a somewhat exotic-sounding melody.
Isaac Albéniz (1860-1909) Born in the Spanish Pyrénées, Albeniz was exceptionally talented and impressed his teachers in Paris, Leipzig and Bruxelles. He studied with Liszt, whom he followed from one capital to another. His masterpiece was Iberia, published the year of his death and universally acknowledged as the most important Spanish composition since the Renaissance. Granada is part of the 8-piece Spanish suite n°1 in which the composer, inspired by popular themes renders a subtle, typically Spanish atmosphere.