Marek Kozák - Sergei Rachmaninoff: Transcriptions [CD]

Rachmaninoff in the hands of Marek Kozak - mastery without ostentationTo this day, Rachmaninoff's four concertos remain a touchstone for pianistsaround the world. His piano transcriptions of music by other composers(and of two of his own songs) do not attract so much attention, but whatthey tell us about the composer and his life is just as interesting. Hisarrangements place him alongside Liszt and Busoni, masters of the genre,whose transcriptions are both tributes to the originals and uniquecreations with a sonic aesthetic of their own. Rachmaninoff wrote mostof his transcriptions between 1921 and 1929, when he was busily performingconcerts and making recordings. On the concert stage, they allowed himto demonstrate his phenomenal technique. Among the supreme examplesof his transcriptions are Mendelssohn's popular Scherzo from the incidentalmusic to A Midsummer Night's Dream and three movements from Bach'sPartita in E major for solo violin, BWV 1006. The 1941 arrangementof Tchaikovsky's Lullaby from the cycle Six Romances brings Rachmaninoff'sentire oeuvre to a symbolic conclusion as a remembrance of his reveredteacher and of an extraordinary human being. Each transcription bearswitness to the humility and profound integrity of the composer's approachto such arrangements. Virtuosity, integrity, and humility are no lesscharacteristic of the performer on this recording. Following his successfuldebut album featuring neglected Czech piano concertos (Kovarovic,Borkovec, Kapralova - Supraphon 2024), Marek Kozak demonstrates hismastery even in this - only seemingly - unassuming genre.