Happy Piano Day: new recordings to celebrate
At Portland Piano International, we celebrate all things piano every day of the year. But on Piano Day — started by the German pianist Nils Frahm in 2015 — piano lovers around the world can take time to honor both the piano and everyone who helps bring this instrument into our lives, including performers, builders, tuners, and of course, the herculean movers!
To mark Piano Day 2023 (which was technically March 29th this year), we're spending time with a trio of incredible recordings of music by three composers who wrote prolifically for the piano: Schubert, Chopin, and Mozart.
Dive into these recordings below — and Happy Piano Day to one and all!
LARS VOGT
SCHUBERT: CHAMBER WORKS
Our hearts are still incredibly heavy following the death of Lars Vogt last year. But his dynamic spirit and passionate artistry live on in these heartfelt readings of Schubert's piano trios — the final recordings the pianist made with his dear friends Christian and Tanja Tetzlaff. From the grand symphonic scope of the First Piano Trio to the haunting Andante from the Second Piano Trio, with its allusions to Beethoven's Eroica Symphony, Vogt's recording with the Tetzlaffs is chamber music playing at its finest.
RAFAŁ BLECHACZ
CHOPIN
Ever since he won the 15th International Chopin Piano Competition in 2005, Rafał Blechacz has astounded audiences all over the world with his electric performances of Chopin's music. On his latest album for Deutsche Grammophon, Blechacz focuses his virtuosic skills on the composer's Second and Third Sonatas, two mammoth works of vast emotional scope that are balanced by two beloved miniatures — the Nocturne in F-sharp Minor (op. 48, no. 2) and the Barcarolle in F-sharp Major (op. 60).
ELISABETH LEONSKAJA
MOZART: COMPLETE PIANO SONATAS
Recording all 18 of Mozart's piano sonatas would be a feat of endurance for any pianist, but Elisabeth Leonskaja — even at the age of 75 — makes it look easy. (Apparently she recorded the entire set in just six days!) Leonskaja proves herself the ideal guide for these works, in which she brings crackling energy and poignant lyricism to every bar of Mozart's beloved scores. With more than six hours of music, this set offers a feast of musical delights to enjoy on Piano Day and beyond.