Prokofiev: Oeuvres pour piano Abdel Rahman El Bacha

• Sergei Prokofiev (1891 - 1953):
• 1 Toccata, Op. 11 04:28
• Dix pièces pour piano opus 12:
• 2 I. Marche 01:37
• 3 II. Gavotte 02:25
• 4 III. Rigaudon 01:26
• 5 IV. Mazurka 01:41
• 6 V. Capriccio 03:38
• 7 VI. Légende 02:57
• 8 VII. Prélude 02:08
• 9 VIII. Allemande 02:58
• 10 IX. Scherzo humoristique 02:03
• 11 X. Scherzo 02:47
• Sonate n°2 en ré mineur opus 14:
• 12 I. Allegro ma non troppo 06:03
• 13 II. Scherzo, Allegro marcato 02:09
• 14 III. Andante 04:58
• 15 IV. Vivace 05:08
• Sarcasmes opus 17:
• 16 I. Tempestoso 02:02
• 17 II. Allegro rubato 01:19
• 18 III. Allegro precipitato 01:47
• 19 IV. Smanioso 02:17
• 20 V. Precipitosissimo 02:58
• Visions fugitives opus 22:
• 21 I. Lentamente - introduction 01:12
• 22 II. Andante - pièce en forme d'arabesque 01:15
• 23 III. Allegretto - danse 00:58
• 24 IV. Animato - pièce pleine d'énergie acérée 00:58
• 25 V. Molto giocoso - pièce joyeuse 00:22
• 26 VI. Con eleganza - pièce raffinée 00:25
• 27 VII. Pittoresco - narratif 01:34
• 28 VIII. Commodo - pièce alliant spiritualité et vivacité 01:04
• 29 IX. Allegro tranquillo 01:09
• 30 X. Ridicolosamente 00:53
• 31 XI. Con vivacità - pièce faite de légèreté et de tension 00:59
• 32 XII. Assai moderato - danse de valse 01:10
• 33 XIII. Allegretto - scherzo malicieux 00:49
• 34 XIV. Feroce - pièce fougueuse et percutante 01:00
• 35 XV. Inquieto - pièce tourmentée et angoissée 00:58
• 36 XVI. Dolente - pièce lyrique 02:02
• 37 XVII. Poetico - pièce lyrique 00:59
• 38 XVIII. Con una dolce lentezza - pièce lyrique 01:24
• 39 XIX. Presto agitatissimo e molto accentuato - épisode révolutionnaire 00:42
• 40 XX. Lento irrealmente - conclusion sentimentale 01:59
• Total Runtime 01:18:41

Info for Prokofiev: Oeuvres pour piano

"Abdel Rahman El Bacha has established a strong reputation for interpreting the keyboard music of Sergey Prokofiev, most notably for performing and recording the five piano concertos with authority, but also for playing the solo piano works with brilliance. In fact, El Bacha began his recording career in 1981 with an album of Prokofiev's early piano music, released in 1983 on Forlane, which won an award that was presented to him by Lina Prokofiev, the composer's widow. For this 2011 disc on Mirare, El Bacha returns to the works of the youthful Prokofiev, which he composed prior to leaving Russia in 1918. The Toccata, the Ten Pieces, the Sonata No. 2 in D minor, Sarcasms, and Visions fugitives reveal not only a genius writing elegant music for virtuosos, but one who was still exploring all the possibilities of modernism. El Bacha treats the music with considerable freedom and changes moods as frequently as the pieces do, offering a mix of brusque physicality and smooth sophistication that keeps the listener constantly guessing. The recording is clear and focused with close microphone placement, so El Bacha's playing has full presence and crisp articulation, with the added benefit of responsive recital hall acoustics, which are pleasantly resonant without being echoic." (Blair Sanderson, AMG)

Abdel Rahman El Bacha, piano

Abdel Rahman El Bacha
Born in Beirut in 1958, Abdel Rahman El Bacha joined the Paris Conservatoire at 16, in order to perfect his technique in Pierre Sancan’s class. He graduated with four First Prizes : Piano, Chamber Music, Harmony and Counterpoint. In 1978, He unanimously won the Queen Elizabeth Music Competition in Belgium. After this brilliant revelation of a young talent, Abdel Rahman El Bacha took a break he dedicated to the diversification of his repertoire. He was then invited to play in the most prestigious concert halls in Europe and in the whole world. He played with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Orchestre de Paris, the Tokyo NHK and the English Chamber Orchestra, among others. His first recording, dedicated to Prokofiev’s early works , won the Grand Prize of the Académie Charles Cros. Ever since, he has recorded numerous works : Bach, Ravel, Schubert, Schumann and Rachmaninov for the label Forlane, and Prokofiev’s 5 piano concertos (Live recording) for Fuga Libera. His interpretations of Beethoven’s complete sonatas and Chopin’s complete work for piano solo ( recorded in chronological order) are great successes, both in recordings and in concerts. The label Mirare has just released his most recent CD dedicated to Prokofiev’s piano pieces.

Abdel Rahman El Bacha, the Master of piano in residence at the Queen Elizabeth Music Chapel, is also a composer. In 1998, the French Minister of Culture awarded him the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and in 2002, the Lebanese president awarded him with the gold medal of the Order of Merit, the country’s highest decoration in his native country.

Booklet for Prokofiev: Oeuvres pour piano