čes | eng | fra | deu

World music CD DVD shop and Classic distribution

 

Alexander Thomas, piano: F. Chopin - F. Liszt - Piano Works

 
Alexander Thomas, piano: F. Chopin - F. Liszt - Piano Works-Piano-Russian Piano School
ID: RCD30110 (EAN: 4600383301105)  | 1 CD | DDD
Released in: 2007
LABEL:
Russian Compact Disc
Collection:
Russian Piano School
Subcollection:
Piano
Composers:
CHOPIN, Frédéric François | LISZT, Franz
Interprets:
THOMAS, Alexander (piano)
Other info:
Tracklist
 
CHOPIN, Frédéric François (1810-1849) 
1. Nocturne Op. 15 No. 1 in F major1:39
 play
2. Nocturne Op. 15 No. 2 in F- sharp major2:54
 play
3. Nocturne Op. 27 in C sharp minor4:35
 play
4. Nocturne Op. 62 No. 2 in E major5:02
 play
5. Ballade No. 3 Op. 47 in A - flat major6:28
 play
6. Scherzo No. 1 Op. 20 in B minor9:24
 play
LISZT, Franz (1811-1886) 
7. Sposalizio ("Années de Pèlerinage“, Deuxième Année: Italie)7:20
 play
8. Il Pensieroso ("Années de Pèlerinage“, Deuxième Année: Italie)4:05
 play
9. Les jeux d‘ eau A‘ la Villa D‘ Este ("Années de Pèlerinage“, Troisième Année)6:40
 play
10. Nuages Gris2:47
 play
11. Rhapsodie Hongroise No. 128:58
 play
12. Nocturne No. 3 "Liebesträume"4:24
 play

Review:
 

Alexander Thomas, born in Kalinin, is now in his early forties. He studied at the Central Special Music School in Moscow. Central to his development were figures such as Lev Vlasenko - a rival to Van Cliburn once upon a time in Moscow - and Grigory Sokolov; the former as a teacher in Moscow, the latter at the Rimsky-Korsakov conservatory in St Petersburg. After a number of competition successes he became the principal soloist of the Moskoncert Moscow State Philharmonic Association.

By my reckoning he was a mature musician of thirty-nine when he recorded this Chopin and Liszt recital in February 2006. It’s a very conventional looking programme but there’s surely nothing wrong with that. He plays four Chopin Nocturnes, the A flat major Ballade and the First Scherzo. The F major Nocturne is warmly attractive whilst its opus mate, the F sharp major, is pretty fast and sometimes just a bit cursory in the decorations. He’s left in a finger slip, which reveals his honesty - something touched on in the extensive booklet notes. The C sharp minor Nocturne is clear eyed but not at all cold and he takes the E major a touch slowly, but plays with tonal warmth, albeit he does rush a little. His Ballade has sprung rhythms and doesn’t get overheated when you anticipate it might. Good dynamics inform the Scherzo which turns into a kind of lullaby. Again the tonal qualities are warm but the playing is a touch too straight.

When it comes to Liszt we find that he slightly hurries Les Jeux d’eau à la Villa d’Este and there’s just a touch of hardness in the playing. Maybe too he lacks colours and nuance in the Rhapsodie Hongroise No.12. Then again this straightness, this refusal to grandstand or make extraneous gestures serves him well in Sposalizio though the tonal responses could be more refulgent. On balance I’d say he is temperamentally more a Chopin adherent than a Lisztian, well - technically - though he dispatches the latter’s music.

This is my first acquaintance with Thomas’s playing. He’s a scrupulous, thoughtful, and dedicated musician - nothing flashy or clumsy about him here.

Jonathan Woolf
www.musicweb-international.com


 

15.00 eur Buy

 
Customer: not signed in

CD DVD SACD
Thematic search:
  • Titles
  • Composers
  • Interprets 
  • Ensembles
  • Conductors
  • Instruments
  • Genre
  • Labels
  • Collections
  • Numerical listing
 
We accept PayPal
facebook
With the purchase of more
than 5 CD - your discount
will be 10%. If more than 10 CD - 15%
© 2004 - 2020

Europe RCD - World music CD shop and Classic distribution.

All rights reserved.