(2022) Rachmaninoff 2 & Babadjanian, Heroic Ballad - Jean-Paul Gasparian, Berner Symphonieorchester, Stefan Blunier
Category(ies): Concerto Debut Orchestra Piano Rarities Repertoire
Instrument(s): Piano
Main Composer: Sergueï Rachmaninov
Orchestra: Berner Symphonieorchester
Conductor: Stefan Blunier
CD set: 1
Catalog N°:
CD 3004
Release: 25.03.2022
EAN/UPC: 7619931300429
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This album is no longer available on CD.
VAT included for Switzerland & UE
Free shipping
This album is now on repressing. Pre-order it at a special price now.
CHF 18.50
This album is no longer available on CD.
This album has not been released yet.
Pre-order it at a special price now.
CHF 18.50
This album is no longer available on CD.
CHF 18.50
This album is no longer available on CD.
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RACHMANINOFF 2 & BABADJANIAN, HEROIC BALLAD - JEAN-PAUL GASPARIAN, BERNER SYMPHONIEORCHESTER, STEFAN BLUNIER
Rachmaninoff 2 & Babadjanian, Heroic Ballad
The young pianist Jean-Paul Gasparian signs here his first disc with orchestra with the stainless Rachmaninoff 2 and the beautiful discovery of an Armenian composer, Arno Babadjanian, whose unpredictable career ends in the jazz and even the pop of the 70s!
Patrick Peikert
Jean-Paul Gasparian - Back to the roots
Prix Thierry Scherz 2020 - Sommets musicaux de Gstaad
Gasparian : his surname alone sounds like a promise, a calling – that of the East, of the plains of Asia Minor, of the Caucasus mountains – a kind of foretaste of the music featured here in the artist’s first recording with an orchestra : Rachmaninoff’s ageless Second Concerto – which has been accompanying Gasparian as a playmate since his early years, even before he entered Jacques Rouvier’s class at the Paris Conservatory – and the very rarely performed Ballade héroïque by the pianist’s compatriot Arno Babadjanian. Indeed, Jean-Paul Gasparian’s origins are Armenian on his father’s side; he carries within a part of this land steeped in tradition, although he is French-born and lives in France.
The first time he set foot on Armenian ground was only in October 2021. “Both my parents are pianists”, explains Gasparian. “My father is a composer and concert pianist, my mother is a teacher. Both of their careers are reflected within my own. My father was born in Armenia and arrived in France with his parents when he was 14. [..] Therefore, I have been immersed in a predominantly Russian musical universe since I was a child and am familiar with recordings made by Richter, Gilels and Mravinsky, thanks to old family LPs dating from the Soviet era. Prokofiev, Scriabin and Khachaturian’s music has always accompanied me, so it seemed only natural to choose Rachmaninoff and Babadjanian for my first recording with orchestra.”
The “logic” doesn’t stop there since Jean-Paul Gasparian had already chosen Rachmaninoff’s 9 Preludes op. 39 for his first solo recording, which he made when he was a first-year student in Jacques Rouvier’s class. Thanks to a Beethoven-Rachmaninoff recital, the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad jury later awarded him the “Prix Thierry Scherz 2020”, which led to this new album. [..]
Antonin Scherrer
(Translation : Michelle Bulloch – MUSITEXT)
Read more in the booklet
***
Berner Symphonieorchester
The Bern Symphony Orchestra can look back on 145 years of tradition as the orchestra of the Swiss capital. Founded as the “Bernischer Orchesterverein” in 1877, the orchestra with its 100 musicians from over 20 different nations has long since become an institution in Bern. Since 2011, it has been part of a four-discipline operation alongside the opera, theater and ballet, which will bear the name Bühnen Bern from 2021.
This season will be the first time that the orchestra will be without its long-time principal conductor Mario Venzago, who took up the position in the summer of 2010. His predecessors include Andrey Boreyko, Dmitrij Kitajenko, Charles Dutoit and Peter Maag. Renowned guest conductors such as Bruno Walter, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Karl Böhm, Herbert von Karajan and, more recently, Sir Neville Marriner, Eliahu Inbal, Jun Märkl and Michael Sanderling have shaped and continue to shape the orchestra. World-class soloists such as Joshua Bell, Sol Gabetta, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Fazil Say, as well as young classical stars such as Kit Armstrong, Lise de la Salle and Alexandre Kantorow, help to spread the reputation of the Bern Symphony Orchestra far beyond the country’s borders. This leads to regular invitations at home and abroad, as in May 2017 for a tour to China.
In addition to symphony concerts and opera and ballet productions, the orchestra makes a point of reaching a wide audience through a diverse range of formats, such as family and young children concerts. A special highlight of each season is the open-air concert on the Bundesplatz. The Bern Symphony Orchestra, which has undergone a generational change in recent years, is distinguished by its exceptional programming and does not shy away from challenging world premieres. On the contrary, the promotion of contemporary composers is a matter close to the orchestra’s heart.
buehnenbern.ch
konzerttheaterbern.ch
Read more in the booklet
***
Stefan Blunier, conductor
Stefan Blunier has been chief conductor of the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música since the beginning of 2021. In addition to his engagements in Porto, Stefan Blunier will conduct in the 2021/22 season the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the Darmstadt State Orchestra, l’Orchestre symphonique de l’Opéra de Toulon and the Singapore Symphony. At the Deutsche Oper am Rhein he will return with Verdi’s Macbeth. [..]
Read his bio in the booklet
***
Sommets musicaux de Gstaad
Prix Thierry Scherz
Sponsored by the Pro Scientia et Arte Foundation and the Friends of the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad
One of the main goals of the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad has always been to give young talents a chance, to help and guide them, reason for which, from the very start, the festival included into its programme a series of concerts given in the Gstaad chapel by promising young musicians of different nationalities playing the same instrument.
Every year, this Prize aims to reward one of these young musicians with the opportunity of recording a CD with an orchestra, produced by Claves Records, ensuring a wide distribution.
This Prize gives the laureate experience with microphones, collaboration with a conductor, with orchestra musicians, an artistic director, sound engineers … and finally the joy of an extensive distribution.
Our laureates’ success reminds us of the importance of supporting a promising career in its early days. We offer our sincere thanks to our sponsors who enable us to continue in this direction.
The Thierry Scherz Prize is an homage to the co-founder and artistic director of the Festival.
2002 Liviu Prunaru violin
2003 Herman Wallén baritone
2005 Emmanuel Ceysson harp
2006 Joseph Moog piano
2007 Alexandra Soumm violin
2008 Nicolas Altstaedt cello
2009 Berolina Piano Trio
2011 Sophie Pacini piano
2012 Soo-Hyun Park violin
2013 Pablo Ferrández cello
2014 Bizjak Piano Duo
2015 Anaïs Gaudemard harp
2016 Guillaume Bellom piano
2016 Kevin Jansson piano
2017 Caroline Goulding violin
2018 Anastasia Kobekina cello
2019 Timothy Ridout viola
2020 Jean-Paul Gasparian piano
sommetsmusicaux.ch
Other prizes
***
Single released
***
Single release tomorrow online !
— Claves Records (@clavesrecords) March 3, 2022
Album the 25.03.22#Rachmaninoff 2 & #Babadjanian, Heroic Ballad
Jean-Paul #Gasparian, #piano
Berner Symphonie-Orchester, Stefan #Blunier
Thierry Scherz Prize 2020 @SommetsMuGstaad
Preorder https://t.co/NVFxpL94bL#clavesrecords pic.twitter.com/TVQVfbMsQ0
REVIEWS
« Son profond, geste altier, tempos amples mais qui ne donnent jamais la sensation de traîner, plutôt celle d’un espace infini, Jean-Paul Gasparian est décidément chez lui chez Rachmaninov. Pas une once de sentimentalité, un discours classique équilibré dans un admirable jeu à dix doigts, avec une main gauche fabuleuse qui contre-chante comme le faisait Rachmaninov lui-même, ce n’est pas un mince compliment. [..] » - Jean-Charles Hoffelé, Octobre 2022
« Ajoutant sa lecture désenchantée à une discographie saturée, Jean-Paul Gasparian défend une vision pessimiste et psychologique du Concerto n° 2, privilégiée jadis par Richter (Deutsche Grammophon, 1959), par Farnadi (Tahra, 1952) et, plus récemment, par Trifonov (DG, 2018). Après une fascinante Sonate n° 2 (Evidence, 2021, Classica n° 240), le pianiste revient à son cher Rachmaninov et convainc une fois encore par la profondeur et la transparence de son jeu. [..] » - Philippe Ramin, mai 2022
« [..] Et c’est avec brio que Jean-Paul Gasparian a relevé le défi. Son jeu est clair et précis, empli de nuances et de contrastes. La virtuosité qu’il déploie d’un bout à l’autre de la pièce est à couper le souffle. Le jeune pianiste dialogue et joue avec l’orchestre, bien que celui-ci le couvre un petit peu trop de temps en temps. En écoutant cette version du Concerto No. 2 de Rachmaninov, le temps s’arrête. L’interprétation de Jean-Paul Gasparian attire toute l’attention et emmène dans un autre monde. Le pianiste brille tout autant dans les passages lents et lyriques, avec une musicalité et une conduction de phrases exceptionnelles, que dans les passages rapides ou plus triomphants. [..] » - Alex Quitin, mai 2022
« [..] Accélérations et rubato confèrent à la majestueuse introduction de sa Ballade héroïque (1950) un aspect mouvant caractéristique. Le piano entre sur un Andante et expose le thème principal, suave et expressif. Une conclusion triomphale coiffe, bien entendu, cette partition épique que marquèrent, en 1953, un Guilels et un Kondrachine survoltés. Très investis également, Jean-Paul Gasparian et Stefan Blunier se montrent aussi à l’aise dans les épisodes énergiques ou très rythmiques que dans les moments plus introspectifs (telle cette marche funèbre qui enfle progressivement). [..] » - Bertrand Boissard, mai 2022
« [..] Gasparian gelingt es, mit kristallklarem Anschlag, eleganter Phrasierungskunst und zupackender Verve beide Werke geschliffen darzubieten. Stefan Blunier und das Berner Symphonieorchester liefern einen starken orchestralen Breitwandsound, ohne dabei dem Solisten die Show zu stehlen. » - Frank Siebert, Oktober 2022
“[..] Still, this release is worth hearing for the first modern recording of the Heroic Ballad by Armenian composer, Arno Babadjanian. Composed in 1950 and awarded a Stalin Prize the following year, this accessible and skilfully conceived work, reflecting the dual influences of Rachmaninov and Khachaturian, was championed by no less a pianist than Emil Gilels and here receives a superbly vibrant performance from Gasparian.” - Erik Levi, may 2022
« [..] Pour le pianiste Jean-Paul Gasparian, lauréat 2020, ce Concerto pour piano No. 2 de Rachmaninov est le premier enregistrement avec orchestre. Cette oeuvre romantique, puissante et grandiose, l’accompagne depuis ses études en France: il est lié à la musique russe par sa mère. D’origine arménienne par son père, le soliste défend aussi la musique d’un compositeur arménien, Arno Babadjanian: la Ballade héroïque date de 1950 et déploie un ample langage postromantique. Stefan Blunier dirige l’Orchestre symphonique de Berne. Inspiré! » - Elisabeth Haas, mai 2022
« [..] Der 26-jährige französische Newcomer Jean-Paul Gasparian, der seine starke Affinität zum russischen Spätromantiker bereits auf einem Soloalbum unterstrich (beim Label evidence), hat jetzt mit dem fulminant mitgehenden Berner Symphonieorchester unter Stefan Blunier auch dieses Schlachtross einer faszinierenden Verjüngungskur unterzogen und zugleich dessen niemals nachlassende lyrische Magie beschworen: Die enorme Suggestivität seines blitzsauberen, kraftvoll-prägnanten und emotional durchlebten Spiels verdankt sich auch dem high-endigen, haptisch-präsenten Klangbild des Tonmeisters Joel Cornier, der es verstand, die ganz spezifische dunkle Farbenpracht Rachmaninows grossformatig in den Konverter zu zaubern. Gasparians manuelle Bravour, sein Sinn für die grosse Linie und für Rachmaninows Noblesse und Leidenschaft verleihen der rundum perfekten Aufführung die Aura des Geheimnisvollen, so dass man sich erinnert fühlt an die alten Virtuosen der vorvorletzten Generation, an Horowitz, Janis, Ogdon, Richter und Wild, die ähnlich prägnant und energisch die dunklen Seelenbezirke Rachmaninows ausleuchteten. [..] » - Attila Csampai, Mai 2022
“[..] Jean-Paul Gasparian, French but with Armenian roots, reveals himself as a pianist armed to the teeth, but above all an extremely musical wizard in both Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto and the Heroic Ballad. A true master of phrasing, accentuation and suppleness, with an intuitive, almost improvisational slant, he is flawlessly followed by the orchestra from Bern, conducted by Stefan Blunier, which is on the edge of its seat. This Rachmaninov and Babadjanian combination by these performers is, without a doubt, a very successful one! Perhaps one day these musicians will also take care of Babadjanian's Piano Concerto from 1944. [..]” - Aart van der Wal, July 2022
« Sergei Rachmaninows 2. Klavierkonzert scheint unverwüstlich: Der 26jährige französische Newcomer Jean-Paul Gasparian, der seine starke Affinität zum russischen Spätromantiker bereits auf einem Soloalbum unterstrich (beim Label evidence), hat jetzt mit dem fulminant mitgehenden Berner Symphonieorchester unter Stefan Blunier auch dieses Schlachtross einer faszinierenden Verjüngungskur unterzogen und zugleich dessen niemals nachlassende lyrische Magie beschworen. Die enorme Suggestivität seines blitzsauberen, kraftvoll-prägnanten und emotional durchlebten Spiels verdankt sich auch dem high-endigen, haptisch-präsenten Klangbild, das die ganz spezifische dunkle Farbenpracht Rachmaninows großformatig auffächert. [..] » - Attila Csampai, April 2022
« Nous n’avions pas encore salué dans ces pages le talent du Français Jean-Paul Gasparian, 26 ans, digne représentant d’une jeune génération pianistique décidément fort douée. [..] Seul ou accompagné, Gasparian a le tempérament idoine pour interpréter ce répertoire qu’il pratique depuis l’adolescence et connaît sur le bout des doigts. Il en assume le lyrisme et la flamboyance sans s’épancher, possède à la fois la puissance percussive, l’agilité et la sensibilité requises par le compositeur (lui-même pianiste virtuose). [..] Gasparian adresse un clin d’œil à ses origines paternelles arméniennes (note: Ballade héroïque d’Arno Babadjanian en plus du Concerto pour piano et orchestre N°2 de Rachmaninoff qui ouvre cet album) et nous emporte dans une épopée rhapsodique aux multiples rebondissements, dotée d’un final aux dimensions et aux couleurs hollywoodiennes. » - Sophie Bourdais, juin 2022
(2022) Rachmaninoff 2 & Babadjanian, Heroic Ballad - Jean-Paul Gasparian, Berner Symphonieorchester, Stefan Blunier - CD 3004
Rachmaninoff 2 & Babadjanian, Heroic Ballad
The young pianist Jean-Paul Gasparian signs here his first disc with orchestra with the stainless Rachmaninoff 2 and the beautiful discovery of an Armenian composer, Arno Babadjanian, whose unpredictable career ends in the jazz and even the pop of the 70s!
Patrick Peikert
Jean-Paul Gasparian - Back to the roots
Prix Thierry Scherz 2020 - Sommets musicaux de Gstaad
Gasparian : his surname alone sounds like a promise, a calling – that of the East, of the plains of Asia Minor, of the Caucasus mountains – a kind of foretaste of the music featured here in the artist’s first recording with an orchestra : Rachmaninoff’s ageless Second Concerto – which has been accompanying Gasparian as a playmate since his early years, even before he entered Jacques Rouvier’s class at the Paris Conservatory – and the very rarely performed Ballade héroïque by the pianist’s compatriot Arno Babadjanian. Indeed, Jean-Paul Gasparian’s origins are Armenian on his father’s side; he carries within a part of this land steeped in tradition, although he is French-born and lives in France.
The first time he set foot on Armenian ground was only in October 2021. “Both my parents are pianists”, explains Gasparian. “My father is a composer and concert pianist, my mother is a teacher. Both of their careers are reflected within my own. My father was born in Armenia and arrived in France with his parents when he was 14. [..] Therefore, I have been immersed in a predominantly Russian musical universe since I was a child and am familiar with recordings made by Richter, Gilels and Mravinsky, thanks to old family LPs dating from the Soviet era. Prokofiev, Scriabin and Khachaturian’s music has always accompanied me, so it seemed only natural to choose Rachmaninoff and Babadjanian for my first recording with orchestra.”
The “logic” doesn’t stop there since Jean-Paul Gasparian had already chosen Rachmaninoff’s 9 Preludes op. 39 for his first solo recording, which he made when he was a first-year student in Jacques Rouvier’s class. Thanks to a Beethoven-Rachmaninoff recital, the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad jury later awarded him the “Prix Thierry Scherz 2020”, which led to this new album. [..]
Antonin Scherrer
(Translation : Michelle Bulloch – MUSITEXT)
Read more in the booklet
***
Berner Symphonieorchester
The Bern Symphony Orchestra can look back on 145 years of tradition as the orchestra of the Swiss capital. Founded as the “Bernischer Orchesterverein” in 1877, the orchestra with its 100 musicians from over 20 different nations has long since become an institution in Bern. Since 2011, it has been part of a four-discipline operation alongside the opera, theater and ballet, which will bear the name Bühnen Bern from 2021.
This season will be the first time that the orchestra will be without its long-time principal conductor Mario Venzago, who took up the position in the summer of 2010. His predecessors include Andrey Boreyko, Dmitrij Kitajenko, Charles Dutoit and Peter Maag. Renowned guest conductors such as Bruno Walter, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Karl Böhm, Herbert von Karajan and, more recently, Sir Neville Marriner, Eliahu Inbal, Jun Märkl and Michael Sanderling have shaped and continue to shape the orchestra. World-class soloists such as Joshua Bell, Sol Gabetta, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Fazil Say, as well as young classical stars such as Kit Armstrong, Lise de la Salle and Alexandre Kantorow, help to spread the reputation of the Bern Symphony Orchestra far beyond the country’s borders. This leads to regular invitations at home and abroad, as in May 2017 for a tour to China.
In addition to symphony concerts and opera and ballet productions, the orchestra makes a point of reaching a wide audience through a diverse range of formats, such as family and young children concerts. A special highlight of each season is the open-air concert on the Bundesplatz. The Bern Symphony Orchestra, which has undergone a generational change in recent years, is distinguished by its exceptional programming and does not shy away from challenging world premieres. On the contrary, the promotion of contemporary composers is a matter close to the orchestra’s heart.
buehnenbern.ch
konzerttheaterbern.ch
Read more in the booklet
***
Stefan Blunier, conductor
Stefan Blunier has been chief conductor of the Orquestra Sinfónica do Porto Casa da Música since the beginning of 2021. In addition to his engagements in Porto, Stefan Blunier will conduct in the 2021/22 season the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the Bern Symphony Orchestra, the Darmstadt State Orchestra, l’Orchestre symphonique de l’Opéra de Toulon and the Singapore Symphony. At the Deutsche Oper am Rhein he will return with Verdi’s Macbeth. [..]
Read his bio in the booklet
***
Sommets musicaux de Gstaad
Prix Thierry Scherz
Sponsored by the Pro Scientia et Arte Foundation and the Friends of the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad
One of the main goals of the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad has always been to give young talents a chance, to help and guide them, reason for which, from the very start, the festival included into its programme a series of concerts given in the Gstaad chapel by promising young musicians of different nationalities playing the same instrument.
Every year, this Prize aims to reward one of these young musicians with the opportunity of recording a CD with an orchestra, produced by Claves Records, ensuring a wide distribution.
This Prize gives the laureate experience with microphones, collaboration with a conductor, with orchestra musicians, an artistic director, sound engineers … and finally the joy of an extensive distribution.
Our laureates’ success reminds us of the importance of supporting a promising career in its early days. We offer our sincere thanks to our sponsors who enable us to continue in this direction.
The Thierry Scherz Prize is an homage to the co-founder and artistic director of the Festival.
2002 Liviu Prunaru violin
2003 Herman Wallén baritone
2005 Emmanuel Ceysson harp
2006 Joseph Moog piano
2007 Alexandra Soumm violin
2008 Nicolas Altstaedt cello
2009 Berolina Piano Trio
2011 Sophie Pacini piano
2012 Soo-Hyun Park violin
2013 Pablo Ferrández cello
2014 Bizjak Piano Duo
2015 Anaïs Gaudemard harp
2016 Guillaume Bellom piano
2016 Kevin Jansson piano
2017 Caroline Goulding violin
2018 Anastasia Kobekina cello
2019 Timothy Ridout viola
2020 Jean-Paul Gasparian piano
sommetsmusicaux.ch
Other prizes
***
Single released
***
Single release tomorrow online !
— Claves Records (@clavesrecords) March 3, 2022
Album the 25.03.22#Rachmaninoff 2 & #Babadjanian, Heroic Ballad
Jean-Paul #Gasparian, #piano
Berner Symphonie-Orchester, Stefan #Blunier
Thierry Scherz Prize 2020 @SommetsMuGstaad
Preorder https://t.co/NVFxpL94bL#clavesrecords pic.twitter.com/TVQVfbMsQ0
REVIEWS
« Son profond, geste altier, tempos amples mais qui ne donnent jamais la sensation de traîner, plutôt celle d’un espace infini, Jean-Paul Gasparian est décidément chez lui chez Rachmaninov. Pas une once de sentimentalité, un discours classique équilibré dans un admirable jeu à dix doigts, avec une main gauche fabuleuse qui contre-chante comme le faisait Rachmaninov lui-même, ce n’est pas un mince compliment. [..] » - Jean-Charles Hoffelé, Octobre 2022
« Ajoutant sa lecture désenchantée à une discographie saturée, Jean-Paul Gasparian défend une vision pessimiste et psychologique du Concerto n° 2, privilégiée jadis par Richter (Deutsche Grammophon, 1959), par Farnadi (Tahra, 1952) et, plus récemment, par Trifonov (DG, 2018). Après une fascinante Sonate n° 2 (Evidence, 2021, Classica n° 240), le pianiste revient à son cher Rachmaninov et convainc une fois encore par la profondeur et la transparence de son jeu. [..] » - Philippe Ramin, mai 2022
« [..] Et c’est avec brio que Jean-Paul Gasparian a relevé le défi. Son jeu est clair et précis, empli de nuances et de contrastes. La virtuosité qu’il déploie d’un bout à l’autre de la pièce est à couper le souffle. Le jeune pianiste dialogue et joue avec l’orchestre, bien que celui-ci le couvre un petit peu trop de temps en temps. En écoutant cette version du Concerto No. 2 de Rachmaninov, le temps s’arrête. L’interprétation de Jean-Paul Gasparian attire toute l’attention et emmène dans un autre monde. Le pianiste brille tout autant dans les passages lents et lyriques, avec une musicalité et une conduction de phrases exceptionnelles, que dans les passages rapides ou plus triomphants. [..] » - Alex Quitin, mai 2022
« [..] Accélérations et rubato confèrent à la majestueuse introduction de sa Ballade héroïque (1950) un aspect mouvant caractéristique. Le piano entre sur un Andante et expose le thème principal, suave et expressif. Une conclusion triomphale coiffe, bien entendu, cette partition épique que marquèrent, en 1953, un Guilels et un Kondrachine survoltés. Très investis également, Jean-Paul Gasparian et Stefan Blunier se montrent aussi à l’aise dans les épisodes énergiques ou très rythmiques que dans les moments plus introspectifs (telle cette marche funèbre qui enfle progressivement). [..] » - Bertrand Boissard, mai 2022
« [..] Gasparian gelingt es, mit kristallklarem Anschlag, eleganter Phrasierungskunst und zupackender Verve beide Werke geschliffen darzubieten. Stefan Blunier und das Berner Symphonieorchester liefern einen starken orchestralen Breitwandsound, ohne dabei dem Solisten die Show zu stehlen. » - Frank Siebert, Oktober 2022
“[..] Still, this release is worth hearing for the first modern recording of the Heroic Ballad by Armenian composer, Arno Babadjanian. Composed in 1950 and awarded a Stalin Prize the following year, this accessible and skilfully conceived work, reflecting the dual influences of Rachmaninov and Khachaturian, was championed by no less a pianist than Emil Gilels and here receives a superbly vibrant performance from Gasparian.” - Erik Levi, may 2022
« [..] Pour le pianiste Jean-Paul Gasparian, lauréat 2020, ce Concerto pour piano No. 2 de Rachmaninov est le premier enregistrement avec orchestre. Cette oeuvre romantique, puissante et grandiose, l’accompagne depuis ses études en France: il est lié à la musique russe par sa mère. D’origine arménienne par son père, le soliste défend aussi la musique d’un compositeur arménien, Arno Babadjanian: la Ballade héroïque date de 1950 et déploie un ample langage postromantique. Stefan Blunier dirige l’Orchestre symphonique de Berne. Inspiré! » - Elisabeth Haas, mai 2022
« [..] Der 26-jährige französische Newcomer Jean-Paul Gasparian, der seine starke Affinität zum russischen Spätromantiker bereits auf einem Soloalbum unterstrich (beim Label evidence), hat jetzt mit dem fulminant mitgehenden Berner Symphonieorchester unter Stefan Blunier auch dieses Schlachtross einer faszinierenden Verjüngungskur unterzogen und zugleich dessen niemals nachlassende lyrische Magie beschworen: Die enorme Suggestivität seines blitzsauberen, kraftvoll-prägnanten und emotional durchlebten Spiels verdankt sich auch dem high-endigen, haptisch-präsenten Klangbild des Tonmeisters Joel Cornier, der es verstand, die ganz spezifische dunkle Farbenpracht Rachmaninows grossformatig in den Konverter zu zaubern. Gasparians manuelle Bravour, sein Sinn für die grosse Linie und für Rachmaninows Noblesse und Leidenschaft verleihen der rundum perfekten Aufführung die Aura des Geheimnisvollen, so dass man sich erinnert fühlt an die alten Virtuosen der vorvorletzten Generation, an Horowitz, Janis, Ogdon, Richter und Wild, die ähnlich prägnant und energisch die dunklen Seelenbezirke Rachmaninows ausleuchteten. [..] » - Attila Csampai, Mai 2022
“[..] Jean-Paul Gasparian, French but with Armenian roots, reveals himself as a pianist armed to the teeth, but above all an extremely musical wizard in both Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto and the Heroic Ballad. A true master of phrasing, accentuation and suppleness, with an intuitive, almost improvisational slant, he is flawlessly followed by the orchestra from Bern, conducted by Stefan Blunier, which is on the edge of its seat. This Rachmaninov and Babadjanian combination by these performers is, without a doubt, a very successful one! Perhaps one day these musicians will also take care of Babadjanian's Piano Concerto from 1944. [..]” - Aart van der Wal, July 2022
« Sergei Rachmaninows 2. Klavierkonzert scheint unverwüstlich: Der 26jährige französische Newcomer Jean-Paul Gasparian, der seine starke Affinität zum russischen Spätromantiker bereits auf einem Soloalbum unterstrich (beim Label evidence), hat jetzt mit dem fulminant mitgehenden Berner Symphonieorchester unter Stefan Blunier auch dieses Schlachtross einer faszinierenden Verjüngungskur unterzogen und zugleich dessen niemals nachlassende lyrische Magie beschworen. Die enorme Suggestivität seines blitzsauberen, kraftvoll-prägnanten und emotional durchlebten Spiels verdankt sich auch dem high-endigen, haptisch-präsenten Klangbild, das die ganz spezifische dunkle Farbenpracht Rachmaninows großformatig auffächert. [..] » - Attila Csampai, April 2022
« Nous n’avions pas encore salué dans ces pages le talent du Français Jean-Paul Gasparian, 26 ans, digne représentant d’une jeune génération pianistique décidément fort douée. [..] Seul ou accompagné, Gasparian a le tempérament idoine pour interpréter ce répertoire qu’il pratique depuis l’adolescence et connaît sur le bout des doigts. Il en assume le lyrisme et la flamboyance sans s’épancher, possède à la fois la puissance percussive, l’agilité et la sensibilité requises par le compositeur (lui-même pianiste virtuose). [..] Gasparian adresse un clin d’œil à ses origines paternelles arméniennes (note: Ballade héroïque d’Arno Babadjanian en plus du Concerto pour piano et orchestre N°2 de Rachmaninoff qui ouvre cet album) et nous emporte dans une épopée rhapsodique aux multiples rebondissements, dotée d’un final aux dimensions et aux couleurs hollywoodiennes. » - Sophie Bourdais, juin 2022
Return to the album | Read the booklet | Composer(s): Sergueï Rachmaninov | Main Artist: Jean-Paul Gasparian
STUDIO MASTER (HIGH-RESOLUTION AUDIO)
Amethys Design
Arno Babadjanian
Berner Symphonieorchester
Classica - Coup de coeur
Claves picks
Concerto
Debut
High-resolution audio - Studio master quality
In stock
Jean-Paul Gasparian
Orchestra
Piano
Rarities
Repertoire
Sergueï Rachmaninov
Sommets musicaux de Gstaad (SMG)
Stefan Blunier
Amethys Design
Arno Babadjanian
Berner Symphonieorchester
Classica - Coup de coeur
Claves picks
Concerto
Debut
High-resolution audio - Studio master quality
In stock
Jean-Paul Gasparian
Orchestra
Piano
Rarities
Repertoire
Sergueï Rachmaninov
Sommets musicaux de Gstaad (SMG)
Stefan Blunier
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