Chopin (1810-1849) - Preludes: Tharaud +mompou - Import CD

Credits:

Osmo V nsk

Description:

Alexandre Tharaud: The supreme "raindrops" of Chopin and Montpauw's Preludes, and the unusually well-honed music of Montpauw Pianist Alexandre Tharaud fascinated us during his visit to Japan in October 2007. His limpid, versatile, and unique touch on the piano and his astonishingly focused music, which seems to grab the listener's heart and leave him in a bind, made a strong impression on the audience. The concert was ranked among the "22 Best Concerts of 2007" in the February 2008 issue of Ongaku no Tomo (Friends of Music) magazine. His unique lifestyle, which includes not having a piano in his room and practicing Zen meditation, made him the talk of the music world at the end of the year, and his long-awaited recording of works by Chopin and Montpauw is now available. This disc begins with Chopin's Prelude No. 1, and the rich sound of the piece immediately grabs the listener's heart. The delicate singing of the famous melody at the beginning of No. 15 "Raindrops" is casually superb.The middle section, in C-sharp minor, is a spectacular piece of music that even evokes the shadow of death, the disease that had already consumed Chopin. Montpauw's "Secret Music" No. 15 was written based on Chopin's Prelude No. 4. It is a performance that seems to wander endlessly through the darkness of Chopin's mind, as if looking at the original landscape of Chopin's heart. In the "Lake," the carefully polished shapes of the notes overlap each other, shaking the listener's heart and evoking ripples of continuous emotion. Taro's mastery of tonal magic once again overwhelmed the audience. ［Comments courtesy of King International.]