ALKAN : Esquisses, Op 63 (Steven Osborne) (2003) Two Version | APE & FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

The renaissance of interest in the reclusive and eccentric 19th-century French composer Alkan has been one of the more interesting developments of the last part of the 20th century but it has usually been his massive and virtuoso works (the symphony and concerto for solo piano for example) which have made the biggest impression. Throughout his life though Alkan was also a miniaturist, as 25 Preludes and six books of Chants show, and this interest culminated in undoubtedly the greatest of these cycles, the Esquisses (sketches) here recorded. This set of 48 pieces plus a final Laus Deo runs through all 24 keys twice with the Laus Deo returning the double cycle to C major. A huge range of mood and colour is represented from simple folk song to etude, not forgetting the bizarre, as can be seen in the tone clusters of Les Diablotins or the schizophrenic Héraclite et Démocrite.

This cycle has only been recorded complete once before. With Steven Osborne applying his colour, virtuosity and interpretive insight we are confident we have produced a recording that will permanently raise the stature of these pieces in the musical world and add a significant milestone in the Alkan discography. Hyperion
Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
1-12. 48 Esquisses Op 63 - Book I
13-24. 48 Esquisses Op 63 - Book II
25-36. Esquisses Op 63 - Book III
37-49. Esquisses Op 63 - Book IV
Credits :
Piano [Steinway & Sons], Liner Notes – Steven Osborne
Front Illustration : Hercules and the Hydra (detail) (1875/6) by – Gustave Moreau (1826-1898)

MACKENZEI : Concerto, Op 55 ♦ TOVEY : Piano Concerto In A Major, Op 15, (Steven Osborne · BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra · Martyn Brabbins) (1998) Serie The Romantic Piano Concerto – 19 | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Two first recordings of concertos by a Scot (Mackenzie) who settled in England as Principal of the Royal Academy of Music and an Englishman (Tovey) who settled in Scotland as a Professor at Edinburgh University's Reid School of Music.

Mackenzie's Scottish Concerto, premiered by no less a man than Paderewski in 1897, is a colourful and entertaining work which uses several Scottish themes in a fundamentally Lisztian design.

As befits the academic and scholarly Tovey, his concerto of 1903 is in a much more serious and Brahmsian vein, indeed the first movement in particular sounds uncannily like Brahms from beginning to end. The work is characterized by great rhythmic energy and superb, rich orchestration. Not just another piano concerto, but a major and unaccountably neglected symphonic work.

Please note the carefully chosen Mackenzie tartan featured as part of the cover design! Hyperion
        
Sir Donald Francis Tovey (1875-1940)    
    
Piano Concerto in A major Op 15 [33'30]
        
Sir Alexander Campbell Mackenzie (1847-1935)    
    
Scottish Concerto Op 55 [28'09]

Credits :
Conductor – Martyn Brabbins
Leader [BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra] – Gabrielle Lester
Orchestra – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Piano – Steven Osborne

SERGEI RACHMANINOV - 24 Preludes (Steven Osborne) Mp3

MAURICE RAVEL : The Complete Solo Piano Music (2011) 2CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

It is tempting to overlook the other works on pianist Steven Osborne's album in order to bestow ecstatic praise on La valse, but that would be like skipping the various courses of a feast and heading straight for dessert. Osborne shows off his gift for and love of the great French composer's work in this complete set of pieces written for solo piano. In the enjoyable Miroirs, "Noctuelles" is blooming and rapid in Osborne's lovely interpretation, and "Alborado del gracioso" is stunning for its phrasing and perfect rhythm, even when Osborne restrikes the same key at a rapid-fire pace. Unfortunately, both CDs, especially the first, suffer from a weak recording quality that renders the softest passages inaudible. Sometimes, Osborne's slower or piano dynamic passages are ever so slightly static. The second CD is possibly more interesting than the first, as the compositions are more varied and Osborne's athletic playing and fiery passion are more evident here. In Le tombeau de Couperin it is a delight to hear each beautiful trill rolling off his fingers in "Forlane" (which has foreshadowings of La valse), the lively contrasts in the famous "Rigaudon," or the feeling and complexity of the "Toccata." Ravel's famed tone color is brought to life in "Jeux d'eau," and a grand, balletic sweep can be relished in the brief "À la manière de Borodin." When Osborne plays full out, it is truly magnificent. Valses nobles et sentimentales whet the listener's appetite for the main waltz to come. One can hear the antecedents to La valse, such as in "Modéré--Très franc," which moves with ease and a music box-like inner motion (without which the piece would fall apart); "Assez animé," which sends the listener into rapture; and the grand crescendo of "Moins vif" that is played with such vigor that Osborne must be using his whole body and soul. One wonders why La valse was not programmed after Valses nobles et sentimentales, to save the best for last. The piece threatens to send the listener into ecstasy. The menacing low notes and rubato in the beginning show Osborne's tremendous control of tension in the line. The rich music is very difficult to play, yet Osborne has a superb sense of musicality. He fleshes out Ravel's orchestration, and he knows how to create maximum drama through dynamics and pedaling. The crescendo-allargando is astounding, as is the ending accelerando, which is frenetic by degrees; the pianist's urgency is palpable.  by V. Vasan 

MAURICE RAVEL [1875-1937]

 The Complete Solo Piano Music [Steven Osborne]

(2011) Hyperion / 2CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

O Púbis da Rosa

MUSSORGSKY : Pictures from an Exhibition; PROKOFIEV : Visions Fugitives; Five Sarcasms (Steven Osborne) (2013) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Steven Osborne's recordings for Hyperion have been fascinating for their varied content, and he seems never to settle into a predictable niche. While he has recorded music by Shostakovich and Rachmaninov, it's never been with the aim of concentrating on Russian music, though he certainly demonstrates a strong sympathy for it and could easily be a leading specialist in the field. This album of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Sergey Prokofiev's Five Sarcasms and Visions Fugitives once again shows his deep understanding of the Russian spirit, and he reveals not only a special feeling for its dark and brooding aspects, but also displays a brilliance that reflects the Russian love of tone colors and effective scene painting. Mussorgsky's evocations of Viktor Hartmann's paintings are most famous in the colorful orchestral version by Ravel, but the piano's own timbres are similarly exploited and shaded by Osborne, whose playing is a kind of orchestration of touch and attack. The Prokofiev pieces are less obviously picturesque, though they are suggestive of mental states and fleeting impressions that Osborne communicates through his enormous array of expressions. Sarcasms calls for edgy and aggressive playing while Visions Fugitives is more reflective and evanescent, yet Osborne has firm control of all these moods and shadings, and he makes his Prokofiev performances as compelling as the Mussorgsky. Hyperion's sound captures Osborne with great clarity and resonance, though the microphone placement isn't close enough to give him much physical presence. by Blair Sanderson