Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 & Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Anna Vinnitskaya

• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943): Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18:
• 1I. Moderato10:12
• 2II. Adagio sostenuto11:21
• 3III. Allegro scherzando11:54
• Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43:
• 4Introduction (Allegro vivace) — Variation 1. Precedente00:30
• 5Tema (L'istesso tempo)00:20
• 6Variation 2. L'istesso tempo00:20
• 7Variation 3. L'istesso tempo00:27
• 8Variation 4. Più vivo00:30
• 9Variation 5. Tempo precedente00:29
• 10Variation 6. L'istesso tempo00:58
• 11Variation 7. Meno mosso (A tempo moderato)01:10
• 12Variation 8. Tempo I00:33
• 13Variation 9. L'istesso tempo00:31
• 14Variation 10. L'istesso tempo00:52
• 15Variation 11. Moderato01:21
• 16Variation 12. Tempo di minuetto01:16
• 17Variation 13. Allegro00:30
• 18Variation 14. L'istesso tempo00:45
• 19Variation 15. Più vivo scherzando01:10
• 20Variation 16. Allegretto01:37
• 21Variation 17. Allegretto01:43
• 22Variation 18. Andante cantabile02:42
• 23Variation 19. A tempo vivace00:28
• 24Variation 20. Un poco più vivo00:36
• 25Variation 21. Un poco più vivo00:25
• 26Variation 22. Un poco più vivo (Alla breve)01:38
• 27Variation 23. L'istesso tempo00:51
• 28Variation 24. A tempo un poco meno mosso01:24
• Total Runtime56:33

Info for Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 & Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

Serge Rachmaninov’s Second Piano Concerto might never have seen the light of day had it not been for hypnosis: before the twenty-seven-year-old composer began work on it, he was on his last legs – financially, artistically and psychologically. Dr Nikolay Dahl hypnotised his patient every day, whispering to him: ‘You will write your concerto. You will work with great fluency. The concerto will be of excellent quality.’ The creative block disappeared, and the concerto’s premiere in Moscow in 1901 was a triumph for Rachmaninov, who played the solo part himself.

Anna Vinnitskaya says she feels ‘a spring-like atmosphere’ in this work: throughout there is a sense of movement, of awakening. The music passes through the most contrasting psychological landscapes, but moves towards clarity and light. Rachmaninov composed the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini in 1934, ten years before his death. Brahms, Liszt, Lutosławski and Andrew Lloyd Webber are among the remarkable roll call of composers inspired by Paganini’s theme.

The Russian pianist and the Polish conductor Krzysztof Urbański have often played Rachmaninoff together, on every continent. The two artists, both of whom present here their third disc for Alpha, were reunited in the NDR studios in Hamburg to record this repertory that fits them like a glove.

Anna Vinnitskaya, piano
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra
Krzysztof Urbanski, conductor

Anna Vinnitskaya
was born in Novorossiysk, Russia. Her parents are both pianists. She received her first piano lessons from her mother at the age of six and played her first public orchestral concert when she was eight years old. After studies at the Sergei Rachmaninoff Conservatory in Rostov-on-Don with Sergey Osipenko, Anna Vinnitskaya began studying with Evgeni Koroliov at the Hamburg University of Music and Theater in 2002. She was appointed professor of piano there herself in 2009.

Anna Vinnitskaya has won several international piano competitions and received numerous awards, most notably first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels (2007) and the Leonard Bernstein Award of the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival (2008).

As a soloist Anna Vinnitskaya regularly performs with renowned orchestras such as the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Royal Phiharmonic Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Radio Symphony Orchestras of Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Berlin, Konzerthausorchester Berlin, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra. She collaborates with conductors Andrey Boreyko, Alan Buribayev, Charles Dutoit, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Marek Janowski, Dimitri Jurowski, Emmanuel Krivine, Louis Langrée, Yoel Levi, Andris Nelsons, Kyrill Petrenko, Krzysztof Urbański, Juraj Valcuha and Gilbert Varga.

In 2009, Anna’s debut album was published on the French label naïve, featuring works by Rachmaninov, Gubaidulina, Medtner, and Prokofiev. This recording was awarded the “Diapason d’Or” as well as the “Choc du Mois” by Classica Magazine. Furthermore, it was nominated for a Midem-Classical Award. In October 2010 Anna Vinnitskaya’s first orchestral CD followed. As soloist of the Deutsches Sinfonieorchester Berlin conducted by Gilbert Varga she recorded Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major. This album earned her an ECHO Klassik award in October 2011. In March 2012 Anna Vinnitskaya presented her third CD with several masterpieces of Maurice Ravel such as „Miroirs“, and „Gaspard de la nuit“. It was immediately awarded the “Diapason d’Or” award.

Anna Vinnitskaya´s new recording was released he label Alpha Classic in summer 2015. Her first recording for this label is devoted to one of her repertories of choice: the concertos of Shostakovich. For this recording, Anna Vinnitskaya was surrounded by partners of the front rank: the famous Kremerata Baltica, regarded as one of the most creative ensembles on todays musical scene, and the prestigious wind players of the Staatskapelle Dresden.

This album contains no booklet.