Mikhail Pletnev

Mikhail Pletnev – Live at Victoria-Hall (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · July 9, 2023 · Comments off

Mikhail Pletnev - Live at Victoria-Hall (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz] Download

It should have been just another memorable concert in the hectic life of the Geneva Chamber Orchestra. However, the global Covid-19 pandemic decided otherwise and turned this summit meeting with conductor Gábor Takács-Nagy and pianist Mikhaïl Pletnev into a historical moment. Chronicle of an extraordinary adventure…in every respect.
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Mikhail Pletnev and Russian National Orchestra – Rimsky-Korsakov: Orchestral Suites (2010) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · July 7, 2023 · Comments off

While the old saying “All that glitters is not gold” wasn’t coined with Rimsky-Korsakov’s orchestral works in mind, it might well have been. As shown by the three pieces here — the suites from the operas The Snow Maiden and The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh, Night on Mount Triglav, and from the ballet-opera Mlada — Rimsky-Korsakov was profligate in his use of glittering sounds: tinkling percussion, twittering winds, shimmering strings, and the occasional crashing cymbal. The Russian late Romantic master was adept at integrating such onomatopoetic sounds into his scores so that they come across less like sound effects than as unified parts of the whole. Mikhail Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra are less successful at creating a unified whole out of any of these works. Though the musicians play brilliantly, with plenty of color and virtuosity, Pletnev sounds like more of a tourist than a native; he happily notes all the sights along the way, but seems to have little idea where he’s going and less idea of how to get there. If energy and beauty are your sole criteria, this spectacularly recorded PentaTone disc will be just the thing. If, however, form and content are more important, Evgeny Svetlanov’s recordings of these works are more effective. Though the sound is far less impressive, the performances are far more cogent and convincing.

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Mikhail Pletnev – Pletnev Plays Schumann (2004) MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC

SACD / DSD By admin · July 3, 2023 · Comments off

Mikhail Pletnev gives polished, serious performances of these Schumann works. It is not that they are cold or uninviting, but more that normal people are to admire, but not touch them. Pletnev is always in control, making sure throughout the Symphonic Etudes that the melody is obvious and on top of whatever else may be going on. Each variation and etude is technically perfect, and even though there is a wide range of emotion, it is always sober. The less weighty ones, such as Etude No. 3, and Variations No. 4 and No. 5 have no sunshine in them. The brief Etude No. 9, marked Presto possible, is like a gnawing interpretation of Mendelssohn’s fairy music. The Fantasie also seems to exist on a higher plane than that of mere mortals. The second movement is a bit more engaging in its energy, but the otherworldly remoteness returns in the final movement. The Albumblätter and Arabeske receive a similar treatment. Yes, Schumann had a hard, depressing life, and yes, he was a genius composer, but surely, there is room in this music for some brightness, some sense of his humanity. Wonderful as Pletnev’s playing is, he has made other recordings where he invites the listener into the music more than he does with these Schumann pieces.

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Martha Argerich, Mikhail Pletnev – Prokofiev – Cinderella; Ravel – Ma Mere l’Oye (2004) MCH SACD ISO

SACD / DSD By admin · June 15, 2023 · Comments off

Mikhail Pletnev has made a transcription for two pianos of excerpts from Prokofiev’s Cinderella ballet that is as colorful and rich as the orchestral original, particularly when performed by such amazing pianists as Pletnev and Martha Argerich. The transcription is based not on the orchestral score, but on Prokofiev’s own solo piano transcriptions, which means that this version, while obviously denser in textures than the solo piano version, is still transparent and clear in expression. Carefully chosen excerpts contrast moments of quiet lushness, as in the “Introduction” and “Winter,” with the Classicism of the Gavotte and the briskness of the Gallop. Pletnev’s Finale combines the ball’s waltz with the chiming of the clock, an ingenious use of the percussive capabilities of the piano, and the shimmering scales that transport the Prince and Cinderella to fairyland at the end of the ballet. Pletnev and Argerich quite effectively convey the ballet’s story and the complex sentiments of the characters and action that Prokofiev puts into the music, from the nattering energy of the “Quarrel” to the swirling waltz and ringing bells of the Finale. You can easily imagine the ballet being performed with this ensemble rather than a full orchestra. The inclusion of Ravel’s Mother Goose suite on the disc is a delightful bonus. Again, they wonderfully bring out the color and richness of the music that is hidden within its simple lines. This is a disc for fans of Cinderella as well as those of two piano music.

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Ivan Pochekin, Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev – Tchaikovsky & Glazunov: Violin Concertos (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Studio Masters By admin · March 23, 2023 · Comments off

Ivan Pochekin, Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev - Tchaikovsky & Glazunov: Violin Concertos (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz] Download

Ivan Pochekin, Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev – Tchaikovsky & Glazunov: Violin Concertos (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:00:26 minutes | 626 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Profil

This recording features the works of Russian composers who were outstanding personalities in the musical life of their country during their lifetime: The Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 35, by Tchaikovsky and the Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 82, by Glazunov.
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