Rachmaninoff Variations: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Chopin Variations, Corelli Variations; Trifonov: Rachmaniana—Daniil Trifonov, piano; Philadelphia Orchestra/Yannick Nézet-Séguin (DeutGram 4794970)
This disc features the CIM-trained sensation, Daniil Trifonov and the reviews are glowing. For example: “The opening bars tell you this is going to be a good ‘Pag Rhap’. As things turn out, it is a great one; up there with the very best . . . [DG's sound in the Rhapsody] is sumptuous, full-bodied and realistic, with a near-perfect balance between piano and orchestra. The Philadelphia's silky strings and characterful woodwind are a joy . . . The tempo relationships between each variation strike me as ideal . . . the cellos' entry in No 12, Tempo di minuetto, is simply gorgeous, but even better is the heart-melting transition from the end of Var 17 into the famous Var 18 . . . While Trifonov revels in the pianistic gymnastics . . . [he also handles the most technically challenging of the variations with exemplary clarity] . . . Trifonov and Nézet-Séguin do seem genuinely to be a meeting of musical minds.” --Record Review / Jeremy Nichols, Gramophone online / 17. August 2015
Featured Wed 1/13, Wed 1/27 (originally featured in September 2015)