Chandos Records is presently recording the complete Chopin with Louis Lortie, the complete Brahms with Barry Douglas and the complete Haydn and Beethoven sonatas with Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. From these ambitious projects we recommend two recent albums which gained critical acclaim.
Louis Lortie plays Chopin
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The first is volume 2 in Chandos’ series of solo piano works by Chopin, played by the French-Canadian pianist Louis Lortie.
Recording exclusively for Chandos, Lortie is recognised as one of the finest interpreters of Chopin today. He first recorded Chopin’s Etudes for Chandos more than twenty years ago; the disc was named as one of the ’50 great performances by superlative pianists’ by BBC Music. Volume 1 of his current Chopin series also has received excellent reviews: the magazine Pianist wrote: “He is a pianist of our time when it comes to speed, energy and an unfussy approach to Chopin. His way of playing is like a sharply cut steel sculpture, super elegant and with not one single smudge.”
And in the words of International Piano: “These are full-blooded and eloquent performances, an auspicious start to what looks likely to become one of the finest of Chopin surveys.”
Barry Douglas plays Brahms’ Complete Works for Solo Piano
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Barry Douglas’ new Brahms series for Chandos has, rather than grouping pieces in their entire published sets as is the recording norm, instead chosen to mix things up. So, an intermezzo from one book might sit next to a capriccio from another. The series also marks the first major project of the internationally acclaimed pianist as an exclusive Chandos artist.
Since winning the Gold Medal at the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow, Douglas has established a major international career, and his reputation as a pianist and conductor continues to grow.
Listen to samples at All Music
“…a typically robust, strongly characterised performance.
— Guardian
“Scrupulous articulation to dynamics give energy and drama to the final cumulative momentum — his cycle will surely be fascinating to follow as it unfolds.”
— Gramophone
Louis Lortie plays Chopin – Etude Op. 10 no. 3
Barry Douglas plays Brahms – Intermezzo Op. 116 No. 4
Interview with Barry Douglas
Bonus clip: Danny Boy goes Brahms (with Barry)
/patrick
