Denis Kozhukhin - Ravel & Gershwin: Piano Concertos (2018) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

“Technically flawless, Kozhukhin combines wisely the brilliance and power of his playing with a masterful sense of form, maturity, and a very unique sensitivity.”

Exuberant high spirits, pulsating rhythms and breathless virtuosity jostle with urbane sophistication and deeply felt sentiment in these scintillating jazz-inspired concertos by Maurice Ravel and George Gershwin, played with élan by Denis Kozhukhin and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Kazuki Yamada in this release from PENTATONE.

A sparkling divertissement with witty orchestration and sizzling virtuosity, Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G major is and one of his best-loved works thanks to its impeccable style, dashing humour, and its hauntingly beautiful slow movement. In a change of mood, Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D major is a darkly hued, powerful work with a heroic grandeur realised in a fearsomely difficult piano part that traverses the keyboard to dazzling effect. And Tin Pan Alley beckons with Gershwin’s breezily confident and polished Piano Concerto in F major. With an inventive score that artfully combines jazz elements, heart on sleeve melodies and brilliant pianistics, the result is irresistible.

Tracklist:
1. Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83 : I. Allegramente 08:40
2. Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83 : II. Adagio assai 09:22
3. Piano Concerto in G Major, M. 83 : III. Presto 04:04
4. Piano Concerto in F major : I. Allegro 13:56
5. Piano Concerto in F major : II. Adagio - Andante con moto 12:35
6. Piano Concerto in F major : III. Allegro agitato 07:04
7. Piano Concerto for the Left Hand, M. 82 : Piano Concerto for the Left Hand 19:25

Personnel:
Denis Kozhukhin, piano
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Kazuki Yamada, conductor