Simon Bürki – Reminiscence (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Simon Bürki – Reminiscence (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:02:02 minutes | 1,03 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Aparté

Born in 2000, Simon Bürki has won many international competitions. Currently studying at the Juilliard School, New York, with Sergei Babayan. His début recording features works by Rachmaninov – 2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth – and Scriabin, Tchaikovsky, Liszt and Schumann. The programme confirms Simon Bürki’s affinities, with some of Rachmaninov’s sombre Études-Tableaux and Préludes, together with two Études by Scriabin, and a selection of transcriptions and short pieces. In these (post-)Romantic miniatures, the young pianist demonstrates his outstanding virtuosity and sober elegance, as well as the exciting flamboyancy and intensity of his playing.

The annotations for this Aparté release include a full-throated defense of the common fund of 19th and early 20th century piano music; “censors took a dim view of serving up little pieces bequeathed by the 19th century and the first years of the 20th, because of their ‘sentimentality,’ their ‘virtuosity.’ This era is over,” writes Alain Lompech. Yet this debut by pianist Simon Bürki, still a student at the Juilliard School when this album was released in 2023, still stands out a bit for its adherence to pure Romantic and post-Romantic favorites. Bürki places works by Rachmaninov, mostly from the Études-Tableaux, at the center of his program, delivering confident performances with an attractive bit of restraint. From there, he does indeed move into more sentimental pieces, including Rachmaninov’s arrangement of Fritz Kreisler’s evergreen violin piece Liebesleid and Liszt’s Liebesträume, a work that would have appeared on countless 19th century recitals but is perhaps a bit less common nowadays. He also includes the somewhat more modern Scriabin, performing him in a lyrical mood that emphasizes his Romantic rather than his experimentalist connections. It is an attractive collection, beautifully recorded at the Gustav Mahler Hall in Dobbiaco, Italy, and it makes one hopeful about future releases from the player. – James Manheim

Tracklist:
01. Simon Bürki – Rachmaninoff: Études-Tableaux, Op. 39: No. 1 in C Minor (Allegro agitato) (03:16)
02. Simon Bürki – Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op. 12: V. In der Nacht (03:40)
03. Simon Bürki – Scriabin: 12 Études, Op. 8: No. 11 in B-Flat Minor (03:55)
04. Simon Bürki – Tchaikovsky: 6 Pieces, Op. 51: No. 1, Valse de salon (04:16)
05. Simon Bürki – Rachmaninoff: Études-Tableaux, Op. 39: No. 8 in D Minor (Allegro moderato) (03:24)
06. Simon Bürki – Rachmaninoff: Études-Tableaux, Op. 39: No. 4 in B Minor (Allegro assai) (03:25)
07. Simon Bürki – Tchaikovsky: The Seasons, Op. 37a: No. 10, October (Autumn Song) (05:04)
08. Simon Bürki – Rachmaninoff: 13 Preludes, Op. 32: No. 12 in G-Sharp Minor (Allegro) (02:36)
09. Simon Bürki – Rachmaninoff: Études-Tableaux, Op. 39: No. 5 in E-Flat Minor (Appassionato) (04:57)
10. Simon Bürki – Liszt: Liebesträume, S. 541: No. 3 in A-Flat Major (04:48)
11. Simon Bürki – Schumann: Fantasiestücke, Op. 12: III. Warum? (01:57)
12. Simon Bürki – Kreisler: Liebesleid (Transcribed by Sergei Rachmaninov) (04:34)
13. Simon Bürki – Rachmaninoff: 14 Romances, Op. 34: No. 14, Vocalise (Arr. for Piano by Zoltán Kocsis) (04:48)
14. Simon Bürki – Rachmaninoff: 12 Romances, Op. 21: No. 5, Lilacs (Piano Version) (03:12)
15. Simon Bürki – Scriabin: 8 Etudes, Op. 42: No. 5 in C-Sharp Minor (03:17)
16. Simon Bürki – Rachmaninoff: 13 Preludes, Op. 32: No. 13 in D-Flat Major (Grave) (04:47)

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