Search - Nikolay Medtner, Sergey Rachmaninov, Dmitri Alexeev :: Medtner & Rachmaninov: Music for two pianos

What can be better than a piano ? Only 2 pianos can.

caspi | Israel | 11/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Developing the editorial opinion I can say without hesitation that all the interpretations on the disk are stunning and not only rusophiles can appreciate and enjoy it, but all the serious lovers of piano music. I'm a true lover of both Dmitry Alexeev and Nikolai Demidenko art, and consider them to be the high class masters of the modern pianism. On this disk I enjoy again and again their brilliant and expressive playing, full of energy and beautiful phrasing. Listening to the music it's impossible to distinguish between the two pianos. Both of them seem to be merged into one powerful instrument controlled by one great master. Considering that each of the pianists has its own unique style, it's really impressive.As the Medtner works recorded here are the rare case to find out nowdays, this disk gets even more value. Both of them, being among the last pieces composed by the composer, present Medtner at his best."Russian Round-Dance" is may be one of the most Russian pieces by the composer, while "Knight-Errant" is a real treasure of the piano classical library, revealing all the feautures of Medtner style: high craftmanship of combining different melodical lines into one whole, masterful development with counterpoint and poliphonical interflow and wisdom of the whole piece structure with final part, presenting each theme one by one for the last time and dissolving it. It always resembles me the actors last bow at the end of a theatre performance.Speaking about Rachmaninov, I consider the interpretations of Alexeev and Demidenko to be the best among all recorded today, together with another ones by Ashkenazy and Previn. Both cases are splendid in different ways: the one by Ashkenazy/Previn shows us all the beaity of the music in the most lyrical and melodious Rachmaninov playing, while the Alexeev/Demidenko version strikes you by it's power, ravishing deep sound, masterful phrasing and sense of proportion betweeen the high class virtuosity and musicality. The best evidence to the above, is the Suite No 2 recorded here with the genious Tarantella finale.This disk immediately climbed to the top of my collection and feels very comfortably there."