Credits:

See Siang Wong

Description:

Mussorgsky's arrangement! Following the release of "Tchaikovsky Fantasy," the second Pentatone label production by King International is the most unique disc in the Beethoven year. For Mari Kodama, Beethoven is a composer of special importance, and her recordings of the complete piano sonatas and piano concertos have been highly acclaimed. This album, which is a supplement to the Beethoven Sonatas and Piano Concertos, is a revelation. The album is an astonishing challenge to Beethoven's String Quartet. However, this is neither a novelty nor an unusual project. It is also noteworthy that the arrangers are Saint-Saens, Balakirev, and Mussorgsky, all composers who have left masterpieces of piano music. Beethoven left 32 piano sonatas, the last of which, No. 32, was written in 1822, and the supreme world of his later years was far from the piano. Beethoven continued to compose string quartets throughout his life, and the last few pieces reach a new dimension that transcends time. For a pianist who loves Beethoven, a string player who can play in this world is the envy of the world. This time, it was realized.While the arranger is a big name, Mari Kodama is mainly concerned with the world from the Beethoven player's side only. What is interesting is that the three arrangers did not just replace the original piece with a piano, but made it a complete piano piece while reflecting their respective pianisms. If you do not know the original piece, you can accept it as an original piano piece without any sense of discomfort. In particular, Saint-Saens and Balakirev have many piano pieces that demand a similar level of difficult technique. A super treasure is Mussorgsky's arrangement of No. 16. Mussorgsky was a composer who arranged only for his own use, and his arrangement of No. 16 is extremely rare. Mussorgsky was a great admirer of Beethoven, and we are reminded that Beethoven was the origin of his intense and innovative music. This arrangement has been a legend among Mussorgsky scholars because the score is extremely difficult to obtain. Now, at last, it has been made audible. The extraordinary sense of Beethoven's last string quartet combined with Mussorgsky's extraordinary sense makes this a rare gem in the world. As a bonus, Beethoven's arrangement of the finale of Mozart's masterpiece "Clarinet Quintet" for solo piano is also included.Known as Beethoven's Jong-Love Song, the arrangement is also as precious as it gets. It is intriguing because of the piano writing style that is typical of Beethoven. Mari Kodama is a divine performer who has taken the understanding she has cultivated through her previous Beethoven performances even further. Although this is of course her first experience playing Beethoven's string quartets, it is full of depth and persuasiveness. In the year 2020, when numerous Beethoven CDs will be released, this is a masterpiece that stands out from the crowd. King International