The January blues - and indeed the winter blues - can really bite. But fear not; some of the piano world's biggest artists are releasing new recordings over the coming weeks. Now THAT's worth getting excited about!
Martin James Bartlett
La Danse
Release date: 26 January
Couperin, Debussy, Hahn, Rameau and Ravel all feature on this exciting new release from the British pianist.
“Being someone who is rather awful at dancing," he explains, "he only way I can explore the medium of dance is through music making!"
Piotr Anderszewski
Bartók, Janáček, Szymanowski
Release date: 26 January
Piotr Anderszewski juxtaposes solo piano works by three composers who asserted and shaped the musical identity of their Central European countries in the earlier 20th century: Janáček in Moravia (which in 1918 became part of Czechoslovakia), Szymanowski in Poland, and Bartók in Hungary.
Yoav Levanon
Rachmaninoff: Etudes-Tableaux Op. 39
Release date: 9 February
When Israeli pianist Yoav Levanon appeared on the cover of Pianist back in 2022, he had just released his debut album of Beethoven.
Fast forward two years, and he is set to release his second album; this time featuring Rachmaninov's Études-Tableaux.
The Études-Tableaux Op 39 is a set of 9 piano études considered one of the most difficult works in the piano repertoire. Each étude is conceived as a musical image or "tableau", with rich, expressive harmonies, lyrical melodies, and demanding virtuoso passages.
Lang Lang
Saint-Saëns
Release date: 1 March
Superstar pianist Lang Lang is releasing a brand new album on 1 March!
Classical favourites, musical discoveries and a pair of captivating large-scale works by Saint-Saëns make up the selection of French works on the new release, titled 'Saint-Saëns'.
Lang Lang joins forces with his wife, pianist Gina Alice, the Gewandhausorchester and conductor Andris Nelsons.
Beatrice Rana
Beethoven’s ‘Hammerklavier’ Sonata
& Chopin Sonata No 2
Release date: Early March
Italian pianist Beatrice Rana is the cover star for the upcoming issue of Pianist, and inside she announces her brand new upcoming album! The official release date is yet to be announced, but we'll be sure to break the news here on the Pianist website.
Her new recordings of Beethoven and Chopin works will be released at the beginning of March. In her exclusive interview inside Pianist, she explains why she chose to pair these two giants of the piano world together:
"These two composers were fighting the same kind of solitude, but in extremely different ways. Beethoven was completely deaf by the time he wrote the ‘Hammerklavier’ and he was escaping his reality through the exploration of this structure. It’s amazing to see what he created in terms of its architecture.
Chopin, when he wrote the B flat minor ‘Funeral March’ Sonata, was in Majorca and going through hard times, ill with tuberculosis, feverish and driven by hallucinations during the night. When playing, he was completely
obsessed by the idea of death...
One composer is obsessed by death and you understand this sense of terror up until the final note. And the other one is fighting against death with an astonishing hymn to life."
Pianist 136 featuring Beatrice Rana is out now. Get your copy here.
Yunchan Lim
Album details yet to be released
Back in October of last year, Decca Classics announced that they had won the race to sign Yunchan Lim. The South Korean had made history just a few months earlier in June by becoming the youngest ever winner of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in Texas. His Gold Medal win has propelled him to classical music stardom.
Alongside announcing his signature, Decca Classics also announced that Lim would release his debut album in spring 2024. Details have yet to be released, but we'll be sure to report on it here on the Pianist website as soon as we know!
