Rachmaninov: Preludes & Melodies Alessio Bax

• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): 10 Preludes, Op. 23
• 1No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor: Largo03:44
• 2No. 2 in B-Flat Major: Maestoso02:58
• 3No. 3 in D Minor: Tempo di minuetto03:55
• 4No. 4 in D Major: Andante cantabile04:30
• 5No. 5 in G Minor: Alla marcia03:35
• 6No. 6 in E-Flat Major: Andante03:23
• 7No. 7 in C Minor: Allegro02:12
• 8No. 8 in A-Flat Major: Allegro vivace03:16
• 9No. 9 in E-Flat Minor: Presto01:36
• 10No. 10 in G-Flat Major: Largo03:36
• Sergei Rachmaninoff
• 11Prelude in F Major03:30
• 12Piece in D Minor (In Canonic Style)01:15
• 4 Pieces
• 13No. 2. Prelude in E-Flat Minor03:06
• 14No. 3. Melodie in E Major03:15
• 15No. 4. Gavotte in D Major03:26
• Sergei Rachmaninoff
• 16Prelude in D Minor: Andante ma non troppo in D Minor (Prelude)02:53
• 17Fragments02:15
• 1812 Songs, Op. 21: No. 5. Lilacs (version for piano)02:41
• 196 Songs, Op. 38: No. 3. Daisies (version for piano)02:30
• 2014 Songs, Op. 34: No. 14. Vocalise in E Minor (arr. A. Bax for piano)06:25
• 21Sorochinskaya yarmarka (Sorochintsi Fair): Gopak (Hopak) (arr. S. Rachmaninov)01:46
• 223 Old Viennese Dances: Kreisler - Liebesleid04:33
• 23Kreisler - Liebesfreud06:45
• Total Runtime01:17:05

Info for Rachmaninov: Preludes & Melodies

In his second solo piano recital recording for Signum, this release further demonstrates Alessio Bax’s dazzling skill and flair in performance and interpretation – this time with Rachmaninov’s piano works. The programme is centered around the Preludes op.23, but takes in a broad selection of his other studies, etudes, melodies and transcriptions – in performance, Bax describes the programme as being a collection of ‘visions and landscapes’.

"… a level of technical control that gives new meaning to the word ‘awesome’ … Furthermore, Bax retains tonal beauty and definition even in the loudest and most sonorous passages" (Gramophone Magazine)

"… the transcriptions can only be mastered by someone with an amazing technique. Audiences still like to be astonished. Alessio Bax astonishes along with the best of them … in short, this disc is a must." (Fanfare Magazine)

"… we arrive at Bax’s own transcription of the dreamy Vocalise… you feel he totally understands the composer’s unique harmonic world. It’s worth acquiring the CD for this track alone." (The Observer)

"This is one of the most intelligent and engrossing Rachmaninov recitals of recent years … a highly rewarding release." (Classic FM Magazine)

"The recital is strong on atmosphere and contrast. The Italian-born pianist seems to have time on his hands even in prestissimi and the selection is pleasing, culminating in his own sweet arrangement of the irresistible Vocalise." (La Scena Musicale)

Alessio Bax, piano

Alessio Bax
is praised for creating “a ravishing listening experience” with his lyrical playing, insightful interpretations, and dazzling facility. “His playing quivers with an almost hypnotic intensity,” says Gramophone magazine, leading to “an out-of-body experience” (Dallas Morning News). First Prize winner at the Leeds and Hamamatsu international piano competitions – and a 2009 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient – he has appeared as soloist with over 100 orchestras, including the London and Royal Philharmonic orchestras, the Dallas and Houston symphonies, the NHK Symphony in Japan, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic with Yuri Temirkanov, and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra with Sir Simon Rattle.

During the 2013-14 season, Bax returns to the Dallas Symphony under Jaap van Zweden at Bravo! Vail and in Dallas, and to the UK’s Southbank Sinfonia, with whom he recorded a pair of Mozart piano concertos. He also appears with conductor Hannu Lintu in Finland, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra under Hans Graf, the Berkeley Symphony, the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, and as concerto soloist at the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago. He tours South America with violinist Joshua Bell, and returns to Lincoln Center for Chamber Music Society concerts, a Great Performers duo recital with pianist Lucille Chung, and a solo recital in a new Chamber Music Society series – in addition to solo recitals in Dallas and Tokyo. Bax and Chung also perform together in Washington, DC and in Hong Kong, Toronto, and on tour in Canada.

Among the highlights of Bax’s recent seasons were appearances with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic under Temirkanov, the Dallas Symphony under van Zweden, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in the UK; there were debuts at Washington’s Kennedy Center, New York’s Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the 92nd Street Y, plus performances with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. During the summer of 2013, Bax participated in nine different festivals, with return appearances in the Bravo! Vail, Bridgehampton, Lexington, and Bard music festivals, and his first residency with Bay Chamber Concerts in Maine as recipient of the 2013 Andrew Wolf Chamber Music Award. In 2013 Bax also received Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award, which recognizes young artists of exceptional accomplishment.

Fall marks the release of a duo disc with Lucille Chung, presenting Stravinsky’s original four-hand version of the ballet Petrouchka as well as music by Brahms and Piazzolla. His celebrated discography for Signum Classics includes Alessio Bax plays Mozart(Piano Concertos K. 491 and K. 595), Alessio Bax plays Brahms (Gramophone “Critic’s Choice”), Rachmaninov: Preludes and Melodies (American Record Guide “Critics’ Choice 2011”), and Bach Transcribed; and for Warner Classics, Baroque Reflections(Gramophone “Editor’s Choice”). He performed Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” Sonata for maestro Daniel Barenboim in the PBS-TV documentary Barenboim on Beethoven: Masterclass, available as a DVD box set on the EMI label. His performances have been broadcast live on the BBC (UK); CBC (Canada); RAI (Italy); RTVE (Spain); NHK (Japan); WDR, NDR, and Bayerischer Rundfunk (Germany); American Public Media’s “Performance Today”; WQXR (New York); WGBH (Boston); WETA (Washington, DC); and Sirius-XM satellite radio, among many others.

Hailed by International Piano as “a pianist of refreshing depth,” Bax’s extensiveconcerto repertoire has led to performances with such esteemed conductors as Marin Alsop, Sergiu Commisiona, Vernon Handley, Pietari Inkinen, Jonathan Nott, Vasily Petrenko, Sir Simon Rattle, Yuri Temirkanov, and Jaap van Zweden. His international festival appearances include London’s International Piano Series (Queen Elizabeth Hall); the Verbier Festival in Switzerland; England’s Aldeburgh and Bath festivals; and the Ruhr Klavier-Festival, Beethovenfest Bonn, and Schloss Elmau in Germany. He has also appeared multiple times at such U.S. festivals as Bravo! Vail, Bard Music Festival, and Music@Menlo, and has given recitals in major music halls around the world, including Rome, Milan, Madrid, Mexico City, Paris, London, Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Seoul, Hong Kong, New York, and Washington, DC. An active chamber musician, Bax has collaborated with Emanuel Ax, Joshua Bell, Sol Gabetta, Steven Isserlis, and Jörg Widmann, among others.

Alessio Bax graduated with top honors at the record age of 14 from the conservatory of his hometown in Bari, Italy, where he studied with Angela Montemurro. He studied in France with François-Joël Thiollier and attended the Chigiana Academy in Siena under Joaquín Achúcarro. In 1994 he moved to Dallas to continue his studies with Achúcarro at SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts, and he is now on the teaching faculty there. He and his wife, pianist Lucille Chung, reside in New York City. Alessio Bax is a Steinway artist.

This album contains no booklet.