PPI's new recordings roundup for October
Cozy season is here — and that means much more time on the couch curled up with a hot bevy and beautiful piano music. This month, we're sharing Krystian Zimerman's white-hot readings of Szymanowski, Víkingur Ólafsson's most personal album to date, and Cyprien Katsaris's virtuosic takes on Saint-Saëns's grand orchestral works.
KRYSTIAN ZIMERMAN
KAROL SZYMANOWSKI: PIANO WORKS
Zimerman continues his exploration of music from his native Poland on this new album — his first in five years — featuring the piano music of Karol Szymanowski. Tracing the composer's artistic career, which ran the gamut from the 19th century's lush romanticism to the fiery modernism of the early 20th century, Zimerman brings his consummate artistry to a set of early preludes, the enchanting Masques, and tenderly moving mazurkas inspired by folk music from Poland's Tatra mountains.
VÍKINGUR ÓLAFSSON
FROM AFAR
The remarkable Icelandic pianist returns to his musical roots in From Afar, his most poignant and personal album yet. A collection of musical gems Ólafsson has enjoyed since childhood, the new album on Deutsche Grammophon features tender readings of Bach, Schumann, Brahms, and György Kurtág. And in a twist, Ólafsson recorded every work on both upright and grand pianos to capture two distinct — and entrancing — sound worlds.
CYPRIEN KATSARIS
SAINT-SAËNS TRANSCRIPTIONS
The French-Cypriot virtuoso marks the centenary of Camille Saint-Saëns's death with an imaginative album of the composer's most beloved works in transcriptions for solo piano. From The Carnival of the Animals to Samson and Delilah's riotous "Bacchanale" and an astounding reading of the massive "Organ" Symphony, Katsaris displays his incredible gift for shaping florid melodies and extracting a vast array of orchestral colors from the piano.