Daniil Trifonov & The Philadelphia Orchestra – Destination Rachmaninov – Departure (Piano Concertos 2 & 4) (2018)

Daniil Olegovich Trifonov (born 5 March 1991) is a Russian pianist and composer. Described by The Globe and Mail as “arguably today’s leading classical virtuoso” and by The Times as “without question the most astounding pianist of our age”, Trifonov’s honors include a Grammy Award win in 2018 and the Gramophone Classical Music Awards’ Artist of the Year Award in 2016. The New York Times has noted that “few artists have burst onto the classical music scene in recent years with the incandescence” of Trifonov. He has performed as soloist with such orchestras as the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony and the Munich Philharmonic, and has given solo recitals in such venues as Royal Festival Hall, Carnegie Hall, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Berliner Philharmonie, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, Concertgebouw, and the Seoul Arts Center.

Born in Nizhny Novgorod, Trifonov began studying piano at the age of five and performed in his first solo recital at the age of seven. In 2000, he began studying with Tatiana Zelikman [ru] at the Gnessin School of Music in Moscow. From 2009 to 2015, Trifonov studied with Sergei Babayan at the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 2011, he won the First Prize and Grand Prix at the International Tchaikovsky Competition in addition to the First Prize at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition, and in 2010 was a prizewinner at the International Chopin Piano Competition. In 2013, Trifonov signed a recording contract with Deutsche Grammophon; his first album for the label, a live recording of his debut solo recital at Carnegie Hall, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. He later won a Grammy in 2018 for an album of the complete transcendental études for piano by Franz Liszt. His albums have appeared on international record chart rankings, with seven ranking on Billboard Top Classical Album charts. (wikipedia)

And here´s his 9th solo-album:

Following their much-praised release of Rachmaninov’s “Paganini Variations”, Daniil Trifonov, the Philadelphia Orchestra and Yannick Nézet-Séguin start with what will become a complete cycle of the Rachmaninov Piano Concertos. This release includes the famous Second Concerto, along with the less popular Fourth, the later recorded live in Philadelphia.

The Second Concerto is a highly energetic, fully charged performance. Trifonov pushes forward from the first bar, and the Philadelphia Orchestra is right along with him. The Phillis have their unique connection with the Russian composer, having worked with him extensively while he was in a practically forced exile in the states, and his own legendary recordings of the concertos were made with this orchestra. Is there still a hint of the late 1920’s and 1940’s sound to the ensemble? Some say their sharp yet warm strings sound is part of their DNA going back to the Ormandy era, and it shines through here as well. Time and again, the orchestra’s contribution to these performances is indispensable, with small touches rarely heard in other versions. Hear for instance the delicate dialogue and accompaniment of all parties at 3:50 in the first movement. They do a jolly good job following Trifonov intricate tempo changes, which to me never sound out of place, serves the music’s statement in full and never mannered. If one goes back to the composer’s own version under Stokowski (RCA), his attitude toward rubato as a tool to increase the intensity of musical phrasing is very reminiscent of Trifonov’s.

Speaking of the Rachmaninov version (1929), his slow movement is one of the greatest recordings of all time, mainly because of his beauty of tone and heart-warming simplicity. Trifonov’s approach is more direct, more outward. It’s not as moving, but highly effective when listening as part of the whole concerto. What occurs in 5:00 at this movement is a good example of pianist and conductor masterful control over tempo changes – The peek of the musical phrase is emphasized with slowing down, holding all the weight, while right afterward the pianist takes us back to the original tempo with his solo re-entering. On other performances, it would have sounded too “romanticized” – here it sounds just right.
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The third movement finds Trifonov, the Philadelphians and Nézet-Séguin at their most energetic – with a cost. This is the only movement in this album where at times the partners are not entirely in sync (0:30), though Trifonov’s virtuosity and the players enthusiastic soon make you forget about this tiny details. I liked very much the pianist’s handling of the famous second subject, played with a forward-moving energy rather than dwelling over it like in so many other performances. In sum, it’s an energetic, very nicely done and fully “live” Rachmaninov Second, even under studio conditions. Competition is so fierce these days that why should one even bother to compete – But I will mention Rachmaninov’s own version as a point of reference, Krystian Zimerman (also on DG) impressive pianism, Lugansky and Orano with the CBSO for their almost chamber-like collaboration, and a hidden jam – Barry Douglas, the LSO and Tilson Thomas for their delicate, mature and penetrating account. Trifonov in comparison has an irresistible energy, and is also very well recorded.

If you heard some hidden treasures in the Second Concerto’s score, then you’re in for a treat in this version of the Fourth, maybe even more impressive a performance than the second. One has to admit the piece’s small weaknesses; It’s not as accessible, seductive or well-organized a composition as the other three concertos, but it certainly can’t be dismissed or ignored for lack of originality. Trifonov and his partners are fully committed to this somewhat enigmatic concerto, the same high spirit coming through even more here (maybe due to the tension of the live recording). Trifonov emphasis of rhythmic elements within phrases makes this a fascinating version – hear for instance his off-bit left-hand staccato at 3:50 in the first movement, or his building up the tension with the brass and woodwind sections from 5:00 onward.

The Fourth’s second movement is perhaps sentimental to a fault, but Trifonov direct, almost muscular handling of it and the orchestra’s warm string accompaniment work extremely well. It’s not Michelangeli’s serenity as heard in his legendary EMI version, but very nicely done indeed. The outburst in the middle of the movement and the exit of its entanglement is another example of the masterful collaboration between soloist and orchestra.

The third movement is perhaps the most problematic and maybe can be partly blamed for the relative lack of popularity of this interesting concerto. What strikes the most of Trifonov and Nézet-Séguin’s version is how modern it can sound in the right hands – finally you could hear Rachmaninov looking forward to the 20th century rather than looking back to the 19th – listen to 0:55 and elsewhere and you could swear hearing hints of Prokofiev and Shostakovich. You rarely exposed to these connections on other versions, if ever.

The fill-up in this album is Rachmaninov’s arrangement of 3 movements from Bach’s Violin Sonata No. 3. It’s well played and wisely placed between concertos – It makes you want to hear some original Bach from Trifonov one day. The next installment with Concertos No. 1&3 is coming within a year. This release makes it highly anticipated. (Tal Agam)

And I add as a bonus his fantastic version of the legendary Piano Concerto No. 1 (by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky),recorded live at the Carnegie Hall, New York in 2011.

Personnel:
Daniil Trifonov (piano)
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The Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Tracklist:
Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No.2 In C Minor , Op. 18:
01. Moderato – Più Vivo – Maestoso (Alla Marcia) – Moderato 11.14
02. Adagio Sostenuto 11.47
03. Allegro Scherzando – Moderato – Allegro Scherzando – Presto – Moderato – Allegro Scherzando – Ala Breve. Agitato – Presto – Maestoso – Risoluto 12.16

Suite From J. S. Bach’s Partita For Violin In E Major, BWV 1006:
04. Preludio. Non Allegro 3.48
05. Gavotte 2.45
06. Gigue 1.42

Concerto For Piano And Orchestra No.4 In G Minor , Op. 40:
07. Allegro Vivace 10.07
08. Largo 7.05
09. Allegro Vivace 9.24

Music composed by Sergei Rachmaninov
except “Partita For Violin In E Major, BWV 1006” composed by Johann Sebastian Bach

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10. Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 (live at Carnegie Hall, October 11, 2011) (*) 35.45

(*) Mariinsky Theatre Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Valery Gergiev

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The official website:

Eugene Ormandy + Philadelphia Orchestra – Great Ballet Music (Tchaikovsky) (2002)

“Tchaikovsky was made for ballet,” writes musicologist David Brown Before him, musicologist Francis Maes writes, ballet music was written by specialists, such as Ludwig Minkus and Cesare Pugni, “who wrote nothing else and knew all the tricks of the trade.” Brown explains that Tchaikovsky gifts for melody and orchestration, his ability to write memorable dance music with great fluency and his responsiveness to a theatrical atmosphere made him uniquely qualified in writing for the genre. Above all, Brown writes, he had “an ability to create and sustain atmosphere: above all, a faculty for suggesting and supporting movement … animated by an abundant inventiveness, above all rhythmic, within the individual phrase.” In comparing Tchaikovsky to French composer Léo Delibes, whose ballets Tchaikovsky adored, Brown writes that while the two composers shared similar talents, the Russian’s passion places him in a higher league than that of the Frenchman. Where Delibes’ music remains decorative, Tchaikovsky’s touches the senses and achieves a deeper significance. Tchaikovsky’s three ballets, Maes says, forced an aesthetic re-evaluation of music for that genre.

Brown calls Tchaikovsky’s first ballet, Swan Lake, “a very remarkable and bold achievement.” The genre on the whole was mainly “a decorative spectacle” when Swan Lake was written, which made Tchaikovsky’s attempt to “incorporate a drama that was more than a convenient series of incidents for mechanically shifting from one divertissement to the next … almost visionary.” However, while the composer showed considerable aptitude in writing music that focused on the drama of the story, the demand for set pieces undercut his potential for complete success. The lengthy divertissements he supplied for two of the ballet’s four acts display a “commendable variety of character” but divert action (and audience attention) away from the main plot. Moreover, Brown adds, the formal dance music is uneven, some of it “quite ordinary, a little even trite.” Despite these handicaps, Swan Lake gives Tchaikovsky many opportunities to showcase his gift for melody and, as Brown points out, has proved “indestructible” in popular appeal. The oboe solo associated with Odette and her swans, which first appears at the end of Act 1, is one of the composer’s best–known themes.

Tchaikovsky considered his next ballet, The Sleeping Beauty, one of his finest works, according to Brown. The structure of the scenario proved more successful than that of Swan Lake. While the prologue and first two acts contain a certain number of set dances, they are not designed for gratuitous choreographic decoration but have at least some marginal relevance to the main plot. These dances are also far more striking than their counterparts in Swan Lake, as several of them are character pieces from fairy tales such as Puss in Boots and Little Red Riding Hood, which elicited a far more individualized type of invention from the composer. Likewise, the musical ideas in these sections are more striking, pointed and precise. This characterful musical invention, combined with a structural fluency, a keen feeling for atmosphere and a well-structured plot, makes The Sleeping Beauty perhaps Tchaikovsky’s most consistently successful ballet.

The Nutcracker, on the other hand, is one of Tchaikovsky’s best known works. While it has been criticized as the least substantial of the composer’s three ballets, it should be remembered that Tchaikovsky was restricted by a rigorous scenario supplied by Marius Petipa. This scenario provided no opportunity for the expression of human feelings beyond the most trivial and confined Tchaikovsky mostly within a world of tinsel, sweets and fantasy. Yet, at its best, the melodies are charming and pretty, and by this time Tchaikovsky’s virtuosity at orchestration and counterpoint ensured an endless fascination in the surface attractiveness of the score. (by wikipedia)

Heare you can hear excerpts from these 3 ballet music from Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky by the Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Ormandy:

Longtime Philadelphia Orchestra conductor Eugene Ormandy (November 18, 1899 – March 12, 1985) (born Jenó Blau) developed what came to be known as the “Philadelphia Sound.” (He groused that it should be called the “Ormandy Sound,” even though its fundamentals had already been established during Leopold Stokowski’s long tenure with the Philadelphia Orchestra.) Largely as an effort to overcome the dry acoustics of the orchestra’s home, the Academy of Music, Ormandy emphasized lush string sonorities and, often, legato phrasing and rounded tone. He was lauded even by his own musicians for his ability to conduct everything from memory, even complex contemporary scores. Still, aside from the voluptuous tone, Ormandy’s interpretations rarely bore an individual stamp. They were, however, highly polished, intelligently balanced, and well paced, always serving the scores honorably, and often with a dash of controlled excitement.

Ormandy initially studied violin with his father, and entered Budapest’s Royal Academy of Music at age 5, falling under the tutelage of Jenö Hubay at 9. He received a teacher’s certificate at 17, and served as concertmaster of the Blüthner Orchestra in Germany, also giving recitals and performing as a concerto soloist.

He moved to the United States in 1921 (taking citizenship in 1927), lured by the promise of a lucrative concert tour. That tour fell through, though, and Ormandy was forced to make ends meet by taking a back-desk job with the Capitol Theater Orchestra in New York City, accompanying silent films. Ormandy soon advanced to the position of concertmaster, and made his conducting debut there in September 1924 when the regular conductor fell ill. By 1926 he was named the orchestra’s associate music director, and made extra money conducting light classics on the radio. Important debuts soon followed: he conducted the New York Philharmonic at Lewisohn Stadium in 1929, and the following year became guest conductor of the Robin Hood Dell Orchestra in Philadelphia. On October 30, 1931, came his first performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra.

The following year he was engaged as music director of the Minneapolis Symphony, with which he made several recordings, but he didn’t remain long in the Midwest. In 1936 the Philadelphia Orchestra called him back as associate conductor, to share baton duties with Leopold Stokowski, who was being eased out. Ormandy became the orchestra’s music director in the autumn of 1938, and held that position for 42 years, until his retirement at the end of the 1979-1980 season (whereupon he was named Conductor Laureate). He led the Philadelphia Orchestra on several national and international tours, including, in 1973, the first appearance of an American symphony orchestra in the People’s Republic of China. Ormandy was knighted in 1976 — Queen Elizabeth II’s way of observing the American bicentennial.

Ormandy was always a proficient, well-prepared conductor, but he was most comfortable in Romantic and post-Romantic music; especially noteworthy were his performances and recordings of Richard Strauss and Sergei Rachmaninov. He established an especially close professional relationship with the latter in the 1930s, and premiered his Symphonic Dances. Ormandy also led the first performances of many works by American composers, and gave the U.S. premieres of several Shostakovich symphonies, among other works. In 1948 he led the Philadelphia Orchestra in the first symphony concert broadcast on American TV, beating Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony by 90 minutes. Ormandy and the orchestra recorded extensively for Columbia and RCA, especially during the stereo LP era; their discography ranged from the first recording of Shostakovich’s thorny Symphony No. 4 to “easy listening” treatments of recent movie music, harking back to his nights in the Capitol Orchestra. (by James Reel)

The recordings was made in the years 1972 + 1973.

Personnel:
Philadelphia Orchestra counducted by Eugene Ormandy

Tracklist:

Swan Lake, suite, Op. 20   
01. Act 1. Scène 3.06
02. Act 1. Valse 6.03
03. Act 2. Scène 3.05
04. Act 2. Danses des cygnes: Coda 2.54
05. Act 3. Danse hongroise: Czardas. Moderato assai – Allegro moderato 1.55
06. Act 3. Vivace 0.59
07. Act 4. Scène finale 6.16

The Sleeping Beauty, suite, Op. 66:
08. Introduction 4.12
09. Act 1. Valse 4.34
10. Act 1. Pas d’action 10.20
11. Act 2. Panorama 2.41
12. Act 3. Marche 3.30
13. Act 3. Pas de caractère 1.40
14. Act 3. Apothéose 2.15

The Nutcracker, suite, Op. 71:
15. Ouverture miniature 3.34
16. Danses caractéristiques. a. Marche 2.13
17. Danses caractéristiques. b. Danse de la Fée-Dragée 2.07
18. Danses caractéristiques. c. Danse russe. Trépak 1.11
19. Danses caractéristiques. d. Danse arabe 3.36
20. Danses caractéristiques. e. Danse chinoise1.16
21. Danses caractéristiques. f. Danse des mirlitons 2.31
22. Valse des fleurs 6.53

Music composed by Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky

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