Chopin: Impromptus Waltzes & Mazurkas

Pavel Kolesnikov (piano)

Op zijn tweede Chopin-album voor HYPERION (in 2015 verscheen een opname met Mazurka's op CDA 68137) geeft de 30-jarige Russische pianist Pavel Kolesnikov opnieuw blijk van een diepe affiniteit met de muziek van Frédéric Chopin. Met onberispelijk spel en een programma dat intelligent is gearrangeerd rond de epische Fantasia in F minor, slaagt de klaviervirtuoos er opnieuw in de luisteraar te boeien.

Chopin:
 Fantasia in F minor, Op. 49
 Impromptu No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 29
 Impromptu No. 2 in F sharp major, Op. 36
 Impromptu No. 3 in G flat major, Op. 51
 Impromptu No. 4 in C sharp minor, Op. 66 'Fantaisie-Impromptu'
 Mazurka No. 3 in E major, Op. 6 No. 3
 Mazurka No. 6 in A minor, Op. 7 No. 2a
 Mazurka No. 18 in C minor, Op. 30 No. 1
 Mazurka No. 21 in C sharp minor, Op. 30 No. 4
 Mazurka No. 28 in B major, Op. 41 No. 3
 Mazurka No. 29 in A flat major, Op. 41 No. 4
 Mazurka No. 33 in B major, Op. 56 No. 1
 Mazurka No. 39 in B major, Op. 63 No. 1
 Mazurka No. 40 in F minor, Op. 63 No. 2
 Polonaise No. 13 in A flat major B5/KKIVa:2
 Waltz No. 9 in A flat major, Op. 69 No. 1 'Farewell Waltz'
 Waltz No. 13 in D flat major, Op. 70 No. 3
 Waltz No. 16 in A flat major, Op. post., KKIVa:13, B 21
 Waltz No. 18 in E flat major 'Sostenuto', Op. post., KKIVb:10, B 133

"What deep-dyed melancholy he finds in the A-flat major Waltz Op 61/1, and how he whirls the dancers across the ballroom floor in the posthumous A-flat Waltz! His First Impromptu is a rapid, delirious flight of fancy, while in the F minor Fantasy (his single large-scale offering) he has big guns to fire, making one long to hear him in the ballades, scherzos and sonatas. Kolesnikov’s Chopin is as magical as it is unforgettable."
International Piano - October 2019

"The combination of Kolesnikov’s sensitive touch, a Yamaha CFX concert grand and Andrew Keener’s production values gives us beautiful sound in abundance. The longer pieces come off best…Kolesnikov is clearly a pianist and musician of exceptional talent. He really doesn’t need to force his own imprint on the music."
BBC Music Magazine - December 2019 (Performance ****)/(Recording *****)

"If these are carefully considered readings, they nevertheless exude an air of spontaneity. Judicious embellishments and the occasional interpolation are added, convincingly and with taste. Kolesnikov, always eager for the deep dive, here resurfaces with rare pearls of perfect proportion and lustre from the long-picked-over beds of Chopin interpretation."
Gramophone Magazine - Awards Issue 2019