Vladimir Sofronitsky Edition

Vladimir Sofronitsky Edition (9 CD)

Vladimir Sofronitsky, piano

Emil Gilels called Vladimir Sofronitzky ‘the greatest piano player in the world’. When he and Richter met, Sofronitzky declared ‘You are a Genius!’. ‘You are a God!’ came back the reply.
The latest in the acclaimed series of Russian Archive releases explores the legacy of Sofronitzky thanks to live recordings made at his concerts in Moscow and St Petersburg and rarely heard since outside a coterie of devoted admirers.
He played a relatively small repertoire compared to the all-embracing enthusiasms of Yudina, Richter or Gilels: like Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, he devoted himself only to that music and those composers who chimed deep within him.
That Chopin and Scriabin were first among them tells us much about Sofronitzky the man and musician: an archetypal Romantic, hypersensitive, gentle yet impassioned, uncomfortable with concerto collaboration, happiest when holding an audience in the palm of his hand.
He played only in the big cities. He hardly ever toured abroad, content to remain within but apart from the Communist state. His impulse for spontanous musical communication meant that he rarely entered the studio, and felt uncomfortable within it: to hear why his technically superb but heartfelt interpretations excite responses such as ‘transcendental’, the concert-hall recording is the most reliable and most thrilling guide.
Sofronitzky’s fiery and poetic responses to Chopin and Scriabin can be sampled here in abundance, but so can his mastery in Schubert - he is one in a line of great Russian Schubertians including Yudina, Richter and Afanassiev. In fact Yudina and Sofronitzky were students together and shared the Gold medal upon their graduation in 1921.
On that occasion they both played the B minor Sonata of Franz Liszt, and Sofronitzky’s ideally flexible mastery of the Hungarian composer is evident in the selection from the Annees de Pelerinage on CD 7 of the present set.
Always at the mercy of a heart condition, Sofronitzky the Suffering Artist par excellence, outwardly vulnerable but burning with genius. Going to a Sofronitzky concert, remarked Stanislav Neuhaus, was like going on a blind date: ‘anticipating something completely unknown, mysterious and wonderful, in other words, a miracle […] He approached the piano, and the magic began.’

* Many recordings only previously released on ‘unofficial’ labels
* Fresh remasterings made especially for this set
* Extensive booklet notes on the works and Sofronitzky’s responses to them, including a personal memoir written for the set by his daughter Viviana
( Brilliant Classics )

CD1
ALEXANDRE SCRIABIN [1872-1915]
Prelude in C major Op.11 No.1　[0:46]

Piano Sonata No.3 in F sharp minor Op.23
　Drammatico　[6:05]
　Allegretto　[2:26]
　Andante　[4:38]
　Presto con fuoco　[5:48]

Piano Sonata No.2 in G sharp minor Op.19: andante　[8:20]
Poeme in D major Op.32 No.2　[1:37]
Poeme in C major Op.44 No.1　[1:15]
Ironies Op.56 No.2　[2:23]
Morceau Op.57 No.1　[1:19]
Polonaise in B flat minor Op.21　[7:10]
Etude in F sharp major Op.42 No.4　[2:44]
Etude in D flat major Op.42 No.6　[2:02]
Waltz in A flat major Op.38　[6:07]
Prelude in G major Op.11 No.3　[0:52]
Prelude in B minor Op.11 No.6　[0:50]
Prelude in A major Op.11 No.7　[0:50]
Prelude in F sharp minor Op.11 No.8　[1:30]
Prelude in B major Op.11 No.11　[1:53]
Prelude in G sharp minor Op.11 No.12　[1:35]
Prelude in G flat major Op.11 No.13　[1:44]
Prelude in A flat major Op.11 No.17　[0:39]
Prelude in C minor Op.11 No.20　[1:01]

CD2
ALEXANDRE SCRIABIN [1872-1915]
Prelude in C major Op.13 No.1　[2:16]
Prelude in A minor Op.11 No.2　[1:44]
Prelude in G major Op.13 No.3　[0:57]
Prelude in E minor Op.11 No.4　[1:28]
Prelude in D major Op.11 No.5　[1:23]
Prelude in B minor Op.13 No.6　[1:20]
Prelude in A major Op.15 No.1　[1:28]
Prelude for the left hand in C sharp minor Op.9 No.1　[2:31]
Prelude in E major Op.11 No.9　[1:11]
Prelude in C sharp minor Op.11 No.10　[0:59]
Prelude in C sharp minor Op.22 No.2　[0:52]
Prelude in G sharp minor Op.16 No.2　[1:14]
Prelude in F sharp major Op.16 No.5　[0:34]
Prelude in E flat minor Op.16 No.4　[0:57]
Prelude in D flat major Op.11 No.15　[1:42]
Prelude in B flat minor Op.11 No.16　[1:33]
Prelude in E flat major Op.11 No.19　[1:06]
Prelude in B flat major Op.11 No.21　[1:21]
Prelude in G minor Op.11 No.22　[0:54]
Prelude in D minor Op.11 No.24　[1:26]
Poeme in C major Op.52 No.1　[1:55]
Poeme Op.59 No.1　[1:30]
Poeme Aile Op.51 No.3　[0:48]
Poeme languide Op.52 No.3　[1:46]
Masque Op.63 No.1　[0:59]
Poeme satanique Op.36　[6:09]
Piano Sonata No.9 Op.68 “Black Mass”　[7:57]
Poeme Op.69 No.1　[1:34]
Poeme Op.69 No.2　[1:09]
Flammes sombres Op.73 No.2　[1:50]
Guirlandes Op.73 No.1　[2:29]
Piano Sonata No.10 Op.70　[11:10]
Fragilite Op.51 No.1　[1:53]
Feuillet d’album in E flat major Op.45 No.　[11:21]
Etude in C sharp minor Op.42 No.5　[3:10]
Mazurka in F sharp major Op.40 No.2　[1:10]
Etude in D sharp minor Op.8 No.12　[2:42]

CD3
ALEXANDER BORODIN [1833-1887]
Petite Suite
　Au Convent　[4:18]
　Intermezzo　[3:09]
　Mazurka　[2:35]
　Mazurka　[2:45]
　Reverie　[1:37]
　Serenade [1:30]
　Nocturne　[2:28]

SERGEI PROKOFIEV [1891-1953]
Tales of an Old Grandmother Op.31
　Moderato　[2:02]
　Andantino　[1:06]
　Andante assai　[2:41]
　Sostenuto　[2:49]

SERGEI RACHMANINOFF [1873-1943]
Moment Musical Op.16 No.3, andante cantabile　[4:42]
Moment Musical, Op.16 No.5, adagio sostenuto　[3:58]
Etude-tableau in C major Op.33 No.2, allegro　[2:24]
Etude-tableau in G minor Op.33 No.8, moderato　[3:32]
Etude-tableau in B minor Op.39 No.4, allegro assai　[2:29]
Etude-tableau in E flat minor Op.39 No.5, appassionato　[4:38]
Etude-tableau in A minor Op.39 No.6, allegro　[2:42]

CD4
FREDERIC CHOPIN [1810-1849]
Mazurka in A minor Op.67 No.4　[2:47]
Mazurka in E major Op.6 No.3　[1:37]
Mazurka in E minor Op.41 No.2　[2:04]
Mazurka in B flat major Op.17 No.1　[1:58]
Mazurka in G sharp minor Op.33 No.1　[1:29]
Mazurka in E flat minor Op.6 No.4　[0:45]
Mazurka in B major Op.63 No.1　[1:53]
Mazurka in F minor Op.63 No.2　[1:40]
Mazurka in F major Op.68 No.3　[1:22]
Mazurka in C major Op.68 No.1　[1:35]
Mazurka in A minor Op.68 No.2　[2:30]
Mazurka in D flat major Op.30 No.3　[2:32]
Mazurka in C sharp minor Op.30 No.4　[3:30]
Mazurka in C sharp minor Op.41 No.1　[3:05]
Mazurka in G minor Op.24 No.1　[3:03]
Mazurka in C major Op.33 No.3　[2:56]
Waltz in A flat major Op.64 No.3　[2:04]
Waltz in D flat major Op.70 No.3　[3:37]
Waltz in F minor Op.70 No.2　[2:31]
Waltz in D flat major Op.64 No.1　[2:04]
Ballade No.3 in A flat major Op.47　[7:21]
Scherzo No.1 in B minor Op.20　[11:03]

CD5
FREDERIC CHOPIN [1810-1849]
24 PRELUDES Op.28
　No.1 in C major　[0:35]
　No.2 in A minor　[2:21]
　No.3 in G major　[0:52]
　No.4 in E minor　[2:05]
　No.5 in D major　[0:28]
　No.6 in B minor　[2:08]
　No.7 in A major　[0:46]
　No.8 in F sharp minor　[2:05]
　No.9 in E major　[1:26]
　No.10 in C sharp minor　[0:29]
　No.11 in B major　[0:39]
　No.12 in G sharp minor　[1:14]
　No.13 in F sharp major　[3:19]
　No.14 in E flat minor　[0:33]
　No.15 in D flat major　[6:00]
　No.16 in B flat minor　[1:06]
　No.17 in A flat major　[3:01]
　No.18 in F minor　[1:05]
　No.19 in E flat major　[1:13]
　No.20 in C minor　[1:45]
　No.21 in B flat major　[2:02]
　No.22 in G minor　[0:44]
　No.23 in F major　[0:55]
　No.24 in D minor　[2:31]

Polonaise No.6 in A flat major Op.53 “Heroic”　[7:21]
Polonaise No.1 in C sharp minor Op.26 No.1　[6:51]
Etude in E flat minor Op.10 No.　[3:30]
Etude in E major Op.10 No.3　[4:08]
Etude in F major Op.25 No.3　[1:50]

CD6
FREDERIC CHOPIN [1810-1849]
Nocturne in E flat major Op.9 No.2　[4:41]
Nocturne in G major Op.37 No.2　[5:46]
Nocturne in C minor Op.48 No.1　[6:10]

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN [1770-1827]
Piano Sonata in D major Op.28 “Pastoral”
　Allegro　[10:32]
　Andante　[7:52]
　Allegro vivace　[2:40]
　Rondo, allegro ma non troppo　[4:54]

FELIX MENDELSSOHN [1809-1847]
Variations serieuses, Op.54　[11:16]

CD7
FRANZ LISZT [1811-1886]
Eglogue, from “Annees de Pelerinage,Year 1: Switzerland”　[2:45]

Annees de Pelerinage , 2-nd Year: Italy
　Sposalizio　[8:42]
　Il Penseroso　[4:31]
　Canzonetta del Salvator Rosa　[2:58]
　Sonetto 123 del Petrarca　[6:45]

SCHUBERT SONGS, transcribed by Franz Liszt
　Die Stadt　[2:32]
　Die junge Nonne　[4:45]
　Am Meer　[4:04]
　Fruhlingsglaube　[3:31]
　Auf dem Wasser zu singen　[4:14]
　Der Doppelganger　[4:12]
　Erlkonig　[4:51]

CD8
FRANZ SCHUBERT [1797-1828]
Piano Sonata in B flat major D 960
　Molto moderato　[14:03]
　Andante sostenuto　[11:09]
　Scherzo, allegro vivace　[3:50]
　Allegro ma non troppo　[7:35]

Piano Sonata in A minor D784
　Allegro giusto　[10:18]
　Andante　[4:05]
　Allegro vivace　[4:55]

Impromptu in G flat major Op.90 No.3　[6:48]

CD9
FRANZ SCHUBERT [1797-1828]
Wanderer Fantasy in C major Op.15 D 760
　Allegro con fuoco ma non troppo　[5:53]
　Adagio　[6:22]
　Presto　[4:41]
　Allegro　[3:41]

ROBERT SCHUMANN [1810-1856]
3 Pieces from Bunte Blatter Op.99
　Nicht schnell, mit Innigkeit　[2:08]
　Sehr rasch　[0:48]
　Frisch　[0:54]

Carnaval Op.9
　Preambule　[2:22]
　Pierrot　[1:45]
　Arlequin　[1:15]
　Valse noble　[1:54]
　Eusebius　[1:40]
　Florestan　[0:54]
　Coquette　[1:32]
　Replique　[1:28]
　Papillons　[0:47]
　A.S.C.H-S.C.H.A　[0:53]
　Chiarina　[1:36]
　Chopin　[1:24]
　Estrella　[0:24]
　Reconnaissance　[1:47]
　Pantalon et Colombine　[1:01]
　Valse allemande　[0:59]
　Paganini　[1:29]
　Aveu　[0:57]
　Promenade　[4:13]
　Pause　[0:18]
　Marche des Davidsbundler contre les Philistins　[3:35]

Vladimir Sofronitzky, piano

Recording: 1946-60