CD

Two of the world's legendary pianists join each other for a virtuoso recital of Brahms, Rachmaninov, Schubert and Ravel. Recorded live this past August at the Salzburg Festival, the recording features Martha Argerich and Nelson Freire in an astonishing program. The works by Brahms, Rachmaninov and Ravel are all better known in their orchestral versions, but each was arranged for two pianos by the composer, and it is in this spirit (avoiding the imitation of orchestral effects and concentrating on the formal and timbral possibilities of the piano) that the two artists perform. Both are renowned artists and it is touching to hear them play the Schubert (a first recording for both artists) while sitting at the same piano.

In celebration of Chopin Year--2010 being the 200th birthday of the sui generis Polish genius--Nelson Freire, a Chopin interpreter of unique discernment, records the beloved Nocturnes. Freire is an acknowledged master of the keyboard. His recordings for Decca have won numerous awards, including a Gramophone Award, Diapason d'or, Grand Prix de l'Académie Charles Cros, and Choc du Monde de la musique. Freire is past winner of the Dinu Lipatti Medal, first prize winner of the International Vianna da Motta Competition and was France's Victoires de la Musique's "Soloist of the Year" in 2002. A pianist's pianist who's playing "sings" with every refinement of the school of bel canto, Nelson Freire is an artist whose profile deserves the attention of a wider classical market. In the opinion of The Dallas Morning News, "Any new Freire recording is virtually self-recommending." 2 CDs for the price of 1!

《Le Carnaval des Animaux》
Martha Argerich, Nelson Freire pianos
Gidon Kremer, Isabelle van Keulen violins
Tabea Zimmermann viola
Mischa Maisky cello
Georg Hortnagel double-bass
Irena Grafenauer flute
Eduard Brunner clarinet
Markus Steckeler xylophone
Edith Salmen-Weber glockenspiel
《Ferdinand》
for speaker and solo violin
Gidon Kremer violin
《Tier-Gebete》
for speaker and piano
Elena Bashkirova piano
《Little Sad Sound》
Alois Posch double-bass
Elena Bashkirova, Gidon Kremer speakers

Nelson Freire brings a lifetime’s experience to his first-ever album devoted to the music of J.S Bach. It was recorded in Freire’s 70th birthday year and provides a superb overview of Bach on the piano: towering original works such as the Fourth Partita and Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue; one of Bach’s own keyboard transcriptions (the sublime slow movement of Marcello’s Oboe Concerto) plus a selection of transcriptions by Busoni, Siloti and Myra Hess.

尼尔森·弗莱尔 莱比锡格万特豪斯乐团 / 里卡尔多·夏伊利