Credits:

Tozzetti, Michele

Description:

The debut disc by a Latvian pianist who is one of the "3 B's" in the world, with a selection of his best pieces and a convincing performance that will leave you wanting more. Georg Kurdian was born in Riga, Latvia in 1994. He won the 3rd prize at the 2013 Rachmaninoff International Piano Competition, the 3rd prize and the Audience Prize at the 19th Johann Sebastian Bach International Competition in 2014, and since 2016 he has been studying at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany. She has been studying with Naoko Kawamura at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen, Germany since 2016. From Beethoven's sonatas, this recording includes No. 24, with its humorous freedom, and No. 31, which forces the listener to confront four different expressions: lyricism, wildness, despair, and reconciliation. Sandwiched between these two sonatas is the French Suite No. 5, one of Bach's most vivacious and optimistic sounding works, and Brahms' Op. 116, which concentrates emotion in a small form. The composers often referred to as the "three Bs" in German-speaking countries are very close to Curudian, and each piece is very well thought out and performed. Surprisingly, there are not many performers who can compete in this kind of album. The pedaling is exquisite, with a bright, smooth, and fluent touch, and the musicians' high level of technique is astonishing.But there are also many other surprises in this performance, such as the bold intonation of Bach, and the free and easy swinging of Brahms' music without muddying the sound. In Beethoven's Lamentations and Fugue from Beethoven No. 31, they created a decent and beautiful world in which the notes sounded right, the natural flow of the music was not disrupted, and the spirit of the music was heightened. King International