Tchaikovsky: Solo Piano Works

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Donohoe, while never underplaying the Sonata’s moments of explosive rhetoric, finds a more poetic, Chopinesque poise…Instead of being rushed off its feet, the final possesses a glorious, Lisztian... — BBC Music Magazine, February 2020, 5 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 29th Nov 2019
Catalogue No: SIGCD594
Label: Signum
Length: 84 minutes

BBC Music Magazine

February 2020

Instrumental Choice
Gramophone Magazine

February 2020

Editor's Choice

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Tchaikovsky: Scherzo à la Russe, Op. 1 No. 1

Work length6:23

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Peter Donohoe (piano)

Tchaikovsky: Impromptu, Op. 1, No. 2

Work length6:08

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Peter Donohoe (piano)

Tchaikovsky: Capriccio in G flat major, Op. 8

Work length5:24

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Peter Donohoe (piano)

Tchaikovsky: Six Piano Pieces Op. 21

Work length21:43

$6.00

$8.40

$10.50

Peter Donohoe (piano)

I. Prélude. Allegro moderato

Track length2:02

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

II. Fugue à 4 voix. Andante

Track length3:06

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

III. Impromptu. Allegro molto

Track length1:53

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

IV. March funèbre. Moderato. Tempo di Marcia

Track length5:42

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

V. Mazurque. Allegro moderato

Track length4:10

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

VI. Scherzo. Allegro vivace

Track length4:50

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Tchaikovsky: Aveu Passioné in E minor

Work length3:01

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Peter Donohoe (piano)

Tchaikovsky: Grand Sonata for Piano in G major Op. 37

Work length31:00

$5.50

$7.70

$9.60

Peter Donohoe (piano)

I. Moderato e risoluto

Track length11:56

$2.00

$2.80

$3.50

II. Andante non troppo quasi Moderato

Track length8:50

$1.50

$2.10

$2.60

III. Scherzo. Allegro giocoso

Track length3:20

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

IV. Finale. Allegro vivace

Track length6:54

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Tchaikovsky: Humoresque, Op. 10 No. 2

Work length2:47

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Peter Donohoe (piano)

Tchaikovsky: Dumka (Russian Rustic Scene), Op. 59

Work length8:20

$1.50

$2.10

$2.60

Peter Donohoe (piano)

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Tchaikovsky’s contemporaries tell us that he was good enough to become a concert pianist, if he had chosen to follow that path. But he preferred to focus on composition and rarely performed in public concerts. His interest in the piano is mainly to be found in his many pieces for the instrument and since most of these were suitable for amateurs with solid skills, they sold well and played an important role in building up his fame. Despite this, some view Tchaikovsky’s solo piano works are not performed as regularly as his orchestral works.

Peter Donohoe disagrees with this take on Tchaikovsky’s solo piano works, insisting that all music requires performers to find the right approach, so he does not see Tchaikovsky as any kind of exception. He writes: “It is inexplicable to me that Tchaikovsky’s solo piano music should remain so infrequently performed, containing as it does all of the composer’s characteristic harmony, his wonderful melodic gift, his capacity for majestic gesture, magically beautiful moments, immense sadness, and passages of extreme excitement.

“His piano writing is often orchestral in texture, but also demonstrates the direct but very diverse pianistic influences of Liszt and Schumann, and incorporates in an almost naive way folk-style dance rhythms and melodies from Russia. This treasure trove is immensely rewarding to play, whether it be a small- scale salon piece such as the Humoresque Op. 10 No 2, or large in scale, such as is the gigantic Grand Sonata in G Major.”

Reviews

February 2020

Donohoe, while never underplaying the Sonata’s moments of explosive rhetoric, finds a more poetic, Chopinesque poise…Instead of being rushed off its feet, the final possesses a glorious, Lisztian integrity…Even when Tchaikovsky’s Russianness becomes unmistakeable, Donohoe wisely leans more towards the cosmopolitan than overplaying the nationalist card.

February 2020

My instant reaction on pushing ‘play’ and hearing the first bars was ‘Ah – this is going to be good’. And so it proves, perhaps the most consistently enjoyable and satisfying recording of Tchaikovsky piano solos of recent years… There’s a lightness of touch, a crisp transparency and clarity of texture that sends the opening ‘Scherzo à la russe’ spinning off into the realms of sheer delight… A very fine issue indeed.

5th January 2020

Donohoe lavishes decades of musicianship and virtuosity on these still underrated works.

Tchaikovsky: Solo Piano Works

2 CDs

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