Mikhail Pletnev - Classical Piano: Schumann, Grieg & Rachmaninoff (2023)

The brilliant pianist and conductor Mikhail Pletnev, winner of the 1978 Tchaikovsky Piano Competition, is not only one of the best representatives of the Russian piano tradition, but is also a stunning and idiosyncratic interpreter of the standard repertoire. He is considered one of the greatest pianists of our time.

At the keyboard and podium alike, Pletnev is recognized as one of the finest artists of our time. Pletnev was Gold Medal and First Prize winner of the 1978 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition when he was only 21, a prize that earned him early recognition worldwide. An invitation to perform at the 1988 superpower summit in Washington led to a friendship with Mikhail Gorbachev and the historic opportunity to make music in artistic freedom.

In 1990 Pletnev formed the first independent orchestra in Russia’s history. Sharing his vision for a new model for the performing arts, many of the country’s finest musicians joined Pletnev in launching the Russian National Orchestra. Under his leadership, the RNO achieved in a few short years a towering stature among the world’s orchestras. In 2006, he launched the Mikhail Pletnev Fund for the Support of National Culture, a non-profit organization that supports major cultural initiatives and projects, including the RNO’s annual Volga Tour and, in collaboration with Deutsche Grammophon, the Mikhail Pletnev Beethoven Project.

His recordings and live performances have proved him to be an outstanding interpreter of an extensive repertoire. The London Telegraph remarked, “from Pletnev’s fingers and brain come ideas that vitalise the music and make it teem with freshness and wit.[He] made the music positively leap for joy.”[Hij] The Times describes his playing as “born of a prodigious virtuosity of imagination outrageous in its beauty.”

Pletnev’s recordings have earned numerous prizes, including a 2005 Grammy Award for the CD of his own arrangement, for two pianos, of Prokofiev’s Cinderella, recorded with Martha Argerich and Pletnev at the keyboards. He received Grammy nominations for a CD of Schumann Symphonic Etudes (2004) and for his recording of Rachmaninov and Prokofiev Piano Concertos No. 3 with the RNO and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich (2003). His album of Scarlatti’s Keyboard Sonatas (Virgin/EMI) received a Gramophone Award in 1996. BBC Music Magazine called the recording “piano playing at its greatest… this performance alone would be enough to secure Pletnev a place among the greatest pianists ever known.” In 2007 he recorded all of Beethoven’s piano concertos with Deutsche Grammophon, and the recording of concertos 2 and 4 was named “The Best Concerto Recording of 2007” by the Tokyo Record Academy.

As a composer, Pletnev’s works include Classical Symphony, Triptych for Symphony Orchestra, Fantasy on Kazakh Themes and Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra. His unrivalled transcriptions for piano of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and Sleeping Beauty were selected, along with his performance of Tchaikovsky’s Second Piano Concerto and The Seasons, for the 1998 anthology “Great Pianists of the 20th Century” (Philips Classics).

The son of musician parents, Pletnev was conducting and learning multiple instruments as a young child and entered the Moscow Conservatory as a teenager. Today he is one of Russia’s most respected and influential artists. An advisor on Russia’s Cultural Council, in 2007 and 2019 Pletnev was awarded a Presidential Prize, as well als the Platonov Award in 2014, for his contributions to the artistic life of the country. Pianist, conductor, composer and cultural leader — all are significant facets of Mikhail Pletnev’s life as an artist. Yet he considers himself, simply, a musician.

Tracklist
01. Lyric Pieces, Op. 43: I. Butterfly
02. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Appendix: Variation I
03. 7 Fugues for Piano: VI. Fuga a 3 voci in C Major
04. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Theme (andante)
05. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation I (poco più mosso)
06. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation II (l'istesso tempo)
07. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation III (tempo di menuetto)
08. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation IV (andante)
09. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation VIII (adagio misterioso)
10. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation IX (un poco più mosso)
11. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation X (allegro scherzando)
12. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation XII (l'istesso tempo)
13. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation XIII (agitato)
14. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Intermezzo (a tempo rubato)
15. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation XIV (andante)
16. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation XV (l'istesso tempo)
17. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation XVI (allegro vivace)
18. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation XVII (meno mosso)
19. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation XVIII (allegro con brio)
20. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation XIX (più mosso. agitato)
21. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Variation XX (più mosso)
22. Variations on a theme of Corelli, Op. 42: Coda (andante)
23. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Version 1852 with Etudes from 1837 version: Variation VI. Allegro molto
24. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Version 1852 with Etudes from 1837 version: Variation V. Agitato
25. 7 Fugues for Piano: II. Fuga a 2 in C Major
26. 7 Fugues for Piano: I. Fuga a 2 in C Minor
27. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Version 1852 with Etudes from 1837 version: Variation IV
28. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Version 1852 with Etudes from 1837 version: Variation III
29. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Version 1852 with Etudes from 1837 version: Etude IX. Presto possibile
30. 7 Fugues for Piano: IV. Fuga a 3 in A Minor
31. Bunte Blatter, Op. 99: Albumblätter II: Schnell
32. Bunte Blatter, Op. 99: Albumblätter I: Ziemlich langsam, sehr gesangvoll
33. Bunte Blatter, Op. 99: Albumblätter III: Ziemlich langsam, sehr gesangvoll
34. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Version 1852 with Etudes from 1837 version: Theme. Andante
35. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Version 1852 with Etudes from 1837 version: Variation I. Un poco più vivo
36. Bunte Blatter, Op. 99: Albumblätter V. Langsam
37. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Version 1852 with Etudes from 1837 version: Etude III. Vivace
38. Lyric Pieces VII, Op. 62: No. 4 Baekken (Brooklet)
39. 7 Fugues for Piano: III. Fuga a 3 in D Major
40. Lyric Pieces Book II, Op. 38: I. Berceuse
41. Bunte Blatter, Op. 99: Albumblätter IV. Sehr langsam
42. Lyric Pieces Book V, Op. 54: V. Scherzo
43. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Version 1852 with Etudes from 1837 version: Variation VII
44. Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7: III. Alla menuetto, ma poco più lento
45. 7 Fugues for Piano: V. Fuga a 4 in G Minor
46. Lyric Pieces Book IX, Op. 68: II. Grandmother's Minuet
47. 18 Morceaux, Op. 72: 9. Un poco di Schumann (Live)
48. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Version 1852 with Etudes from 1837 version: Variation II. Marcato il canto
49. 7 Fugues for Piano: VII. Double Fugue in G Minor
50. Lyric Pieces Book V, Op. 54: VI. Bellringing
51. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Appendix: Variation V
52. Lyric Pieces Book VIII, Op. 65: V. In ballad vein
53. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Version 1852 with Etudes from 1837 version: Variation IX. Con espressione
54. Lyric Pieces, Op. 43: VI. To the Spring
55. Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7: II. Andante molto
56. Lyric Pieces IV, Op. 47: No. 3 Melodie
57. Lyric Pieces Book VI, Op. 57: I. Vanished Days (Entschwundene Tage)
58. Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7: I. Allegro moderato - Allegro molto
59. Lyric Pieces Book VIII, Op. 65: VI. Wedding Day at Troldhaugen
60. Lyric Pieces Book V, Op. 54: III. Notturno
61. Piano Sonata in E minor, Op. 7: IV. Finale (Molto allegro - Presto)
62. Pictures from Life in the Country, Op. 19: III. Carnival Scene
63. Pictures from Life in the Country, Op. 19: Schumann: Arabeske in C, Op. 18
64. Symphonic Studies, Op. 13 - Version 1852 with Etudes from 1837 version: Finale. Allegro brillante
65. Etude-Tableau in E Flat Minor, Op. 33, No. 6: Non allegro
66. Etude-Tableau in C Sharp Minor, Op. 33, No. 9: Grave
67. Etude-Tableau in G Minor, Op. 33, No. 8: Moderato
68. Etude-Tableau in E Flat Minor, Op. 39, No. 5: Appassionato