LEIF OVE ANDSNES - DVORAK: POETIC TONE PICTURES, OP.85 [CD]

Sony Classical

£14.40

Format: CD
Catalogue No.: 19439912092
Barcode: 0194399120927
Release Date: 28 Oct 2022
Genre: Classical

Sony Classical is happy to present the new album "Dvořák: Poetic Tone Pictures, Op.85” by Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes which is now being released as a double LP Vinyl & single CD format. ‘A pianist of magisterial elegance, power, and insight.’ New York Times. A rare jewel among the piano repertoire, Dvořák’s Poetic Tone Pictures, a cycle of piano solo works, is mostly unknown to the public. Following the great success of his Sibelius album in 2017, Leif Ove Andsnes once again brings lesser-known piano music into the spotlight, delivering a treasure chest of accessible and romantic tunes performed with artistic brilliance. Following the great success of his Sibelius album in 2017, Leif Ove Andsnes once again brings lesser known piano music into the spotlight, delivering a treasure chest of accessible and romantic tunes performed with artistic brilliance. ‘I have to say I think this is the great forgotten cycle of 19th-century piano music. Maybe those are big words, but I do feel that’ states Leif Ove Andsnes. Dvořák’s piano compositions were largely overshadowed by his popular symphonies and chamber music works. With Poetic Tone Pictures, the composer offers a rich palette of various different moods, from romantic and dream-like, to wild and furious. Its poetic temperament and technically rewarding piano stylization make it a gem that not only Dvořák fans will find great pleasure in. The 13 postcards for piano that make up Dvořák’s Poetic Tone Pictures were written in the Spring of 1889 and signal a shift in style from a composer moving away from formal constructions toward a freer, inspired aesthetic. Among these charming pieces are evocations of magic and mystery (‘The Old Castle’), rustic dances (‘Furiant’ and ‘Peasant Ballad’), nostalgic mood pieces (‘Twilight Way’), and tragic reminiscences (‘At a Hero’s Grave’). The works range from the deeply profound to the playful, from light-hearted to furious - ‘I feel a very strong, wonderful narrative in them,’ says Leif Ove Andsnes, who firmly believes Dvořák conceived the pieces of this ‘exceptional’ set as a cycle to be played together.