Morceaux De Fantaisie Op.3,Etudes-Tablea [Classica, Suono digitale, Super audio CD - DSD]

The new SACD featuring Armenian pianist Nareh Arghamanyan, however, gets a (++++) rating, for here the clear focus on the performer is well-matched with the very considerable interest level of the music she plays. The Op. 33 Études Tableaux are the best-known pieces here, but the Variations on a Theme of Corelli will be of greatest interest to listeners who know of Rachmaninoff's skill in the variation form only through his so-often-performed Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Arghamanyan has a distinctive way with this music: she has all the virtuosity that the pieces require, but she also brings a quiet tenderness, a feeling of empathy, to works that are frequently played simply as surface-level display pieces. Rachmaninoff is coming in for some reconsideration as a composer, no longer being instantly dismissed as overly Romantic and overblown, and these performances show why: there is beauty here that lies beneath the surface as well as upon it, and the very considerable technical demands of these works seem, in Arghamanyan's readings, to be at the service of genuine emotional communication that reaches out to listeners very effectively indeed. PentaTone includes a bonus DVD with the Arghamanyan CD... the DVD will be of interest to those who would like to see the pianist and hear an extended interview with her... http://transcentury.blogspot.co.uk ////These days there is almost an embarrassment of riches where phenomenally gifted young artists are concerned. They burst upon the music scene blessed with astonishing technical prowess and with a fistful of awards from international competitions, so any newcomer has to be the possessor of extra special qualities to make any impression amongst a bewildering array of talent. On the evidence of the new PentaTone SACD the 23 year-old pianist Nareh Arghamanyan has these qualities in abundance. On this disc Nareh Arghamanyan has chosen compositions that span three periods of Rachmaninov's creative life from the early 'Morceaux de Fantasie' Op.3 (1892), the first set of Etudes-Tableaux Op.33 (1911) and finally the 'Variations on a Theme of Corelli' Op.42 (1931). This is a taxing programme, but one that allows her to display her fine musicianship to the full. Of the early pieces, the famous 'Prelude in C-sharp minor' is performed with a wide gradation of dynamics and controlled power that fully communicates the melodrama inherent this piece whilst the wistful gentleness of the 'Mélodie' Op 3 No.3 contrasts with the coruscating account of the capricious 'Polichinelle'. She seems completely unfazed by the virtuoso challenges of the 'Etudes-Tableaux' that follow and which she delivers with great sensitivity and a maturity that her age belies. A quite riveting and wonderfully nuanced performance of Rachmaninov's masterly Corelli Variations completes this marvellous disc. The packaging also includes a DVD on which we see Nareh Arghamanyan playing the C sharp minor Prelude and the first seven of the Corelli variations. The rest of the DVD consists of an interview in which the pianist speaks fluently and unaffectedly about her early life, training and thoughts about the music that she performs on this recital... Jean-Marie Geijsen's resplendent recording captures the richness and depth of Arghamanyan's Steinway piano in the excellent acoustic of the Concertboerderij Valthermond, while for those listening in 5.0 surround sound a further realistic bloom is imparted to the sonics by the hall's ambience. Thoughtful liner notes by the pianist herself are also most welcome. This is one of the most enjoyable Rachmaninov recitals that I have heard for many a year, and one hopes that it a precursor to future recordings from this exciting and exceptionally talented young pianist. No less than a top recommendation is deserved. Copyright © 2012 Graham Williams and SA-CD.net --http://transcentury.blogspo - --http://www.classicstoday.com

After a dozen years of success on the piano competition circuit (seven first prizes and two seconds), Armenian prodigy Arghamanyan already sounds like a fully mature talent at a mere 23 years of age. On this program of solo sets, she manages to take wildly Romantic liberties with rubato without sounding mannered or tasteless. Okay, she shamelessly dramatizes the famous C-sharp minor Prelude from Op. 3, but that's not a criticism, it's a recommendation -- it's so passionate, it's irresistible. It helps that her sound is absolutely gorgeous, her quiet passages luscious yet fully projected, her fortissimos bold yet never harsh. --Steve Holtje - culturecatch.com

...Arghamanyan's new all-Rachmaninov recital reveals a more disciplined, controlled, architecturally aware, and expressively sophisticated artist. The Corelli Variations benefit from the Armenian pianist's unified tempo relationships and overall symphonic approach in terms of rhythmic discipline, intelligently scaled dynamics, and a wide range of tone colors. Notice, for example, the wonderfully unfolding continuity she achieves by linking Variations 5, 6, and 7, even though the latter seems a bit slow in relation to the composer s Vivace directive. Conversely, Arghamanyan enlivens Variation 3's 'question and answer' dynamic contrasts with specifically characterized accelerations. Variation 8's myriad tempo modifications, however, are Rachmaninov's own, and Arghamanyan proportions them to utter perfection. While the scherzando Variation 10 could be communicated in a lighter, more playful manner, Variation 12's marcato and legato contrasts truly hit home. Listen also to how Arghamanyan shapes the Intermezzo's rhetorical phrases and virtuosic filigree more or less in tempo, yet with seemingly boundless nuance. The shorter pieces prove no less absorbing. Arghamanyan s thoughtful textural layering of the C-sharp minor Prelude Op. 3 No. 2 amounts to a newly minted rendition of an overplayed warhorse. She markedly differentiates the B-flat minor Serenade s expansive cantabiles and quiet stabbing chords much as the composer did in his classic 1940 recording. Each one of the Op. 33 Etudes-Tableaux fuses virtuosic refinement, textural clarity, and a gift for revealing the narrative behind the melodies that many younger pianists lack. Out of curiosity I compared Arghamanyan's C major Op. 33 No. 2 alongside Yuja Wang's contemporaneous DG recording, and wound up preferring Arghamanyan for her more expansive phrasing and riper sonority, helped by PentaTone's full-bodied, lifelike multi-channel sonics. Arghamanyan s own booklet notes discuss her responses to the music in eloquent, articulate, and refreshingly non-indulgent prose. A terrific release in every way. --http://www.classicstoday.com