Joshua Pierce - Rachmaninov / Respighi / Casella:Works For Piano&Orchestra - Import CD

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Joshua Pierce

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Joshua Pierce and Anton Nanut Casella, Respighi, Rachmaninoff Originally released in the early 1990s on the PHOENIX label in the U.S., MSR CLASSICS re-released a collection of neoclassical works for piano and orchestra by Casella, Respighi, and Rachmaninoff. Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is extremely famous, but Casella's and Respighi's partitas for orchestra are rather rare. Casella's Partita (1925) is a neoclassical work in three movements: Sinfonia, Passacaglia, and Bullesca. The third movement, in particular, is interesting because of its Italian classical style and its bright and colorful flavor. Respighi's Toccata (1928) was premiered on November 28, 1928, with Respighi on piano and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Willem Mengelberg. It is a dark and dynamic tour de force, though grounded in Baroque music. Joshua Pierce, who later became the signature pianist of MSR CLASSICS, recorded this piece when he was 40 years old.Rachmaninoff's performance was highly tense and passionate, Casella's was lighthearted, and Respighi's was profound, all of which perfectly matched their respective styles. I was also pleased to see that the accompaniment conductor was Slovenian master Anton Nanut. Nanut's conducting of Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody is also very well rounded. (Tobu Shoji) Included in the program are Casella: Partita for Piano and Orchestra Respighi:Toccata for Piano and Orchestra Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op.43 72'25 Performers Joshua Pierce (Piano) Anton Nannuto (Conductor) Slovenian Radio Symphony Orchestra Recorded: April 9-11, 1991 DDD, Slovenia