PPI's new recordings roundup for March
As we inch our way toward the first day of spring, we're listening to music that evokes the beauty of the impending season in ways both poetic and primal. This month, join us in celebrating spring with tracks from these phenomenal recordings:
Leif Ove Andsnes's deep dive into Dvořák's Poetic Tone Poems
Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Midori's next-level elegance in Beethoven's "Spring" Sonata
and Piano Duo Van Veen's rabid reading of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring for piano four hands
LEIF OVE ANDSNES
"SPRING SONG," FROM DVOŘÁK: POETIC TONE PICTURES
In his Poetic Tone Pictures, Dvořák creates lush landscapes that rival the vibrant canvases of Monet and Cézanne. And in the hands of the always-brilliant Leif Ove Andsnes, the set's fourth movement, "Spring Song," conjures one of the composer's most sun-drenched scenes. Joining together a joyful melody and the playful rush of a babbling brook, Dvořák creates three minutes of nature-infused ecstasy.
JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET AND MIDORI
"SPRING" SONATA, FROM BEETHOVEN SONATAS FOR PIANO AND VIOLIN
Although Beethoven didn't affix the "Spring" title to his fifth violin sonata, there's no denying the relaxed, pastoral charm this beloved work evokes. From the buoyant energy of the sonata's opening pages to the placid slow movement and its many allusions to bird song, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Midori deliver a performance that astounds as much as it delights.
PIANO DUO VAN VEEN
STRAVINSKY'S RITE OF SPRING, FROM FAMOUS WORKS FOR PIANO DUO
Spring isn't all blue skies, bird song, and fields of tulips as far as the eye can see — it's also a season of threatening storms, ominous skies, and wild winds. To connect with the season's more brutal side, dig into Stravinsky's dizzying Rite of Spring as performed by the Piano Duo Van Veen — two brothers who bring crystalline precision to the ballet's breathtakingly violent rhythms.