Piano Release Radar: Laura Downes, Benjamin Grosvenor, Ching-Yun Hu and Orli Shaham
Pianist Orli Shaham
Music for piano is never out of style and there was an abundance of new releases this week. In this spirit, Classical Post shares the following Piano Release Radar, which includes new albums, video premieres, and weekly uploads!
Laura Downes: Some of these Days
Pianist Lara Downes’ uplifting new album Some of These Days (out April 3), revisits freedom songs and Spirituals, historic expressions of hope and courage that remind us of our human capacity for optimism, activism, and unification in the face of crisis. Downes says, “For me, the motivation in creating this record has always been the relevance and timelessness of these songs. There’s the pain, reaction to oppression, always hope, always a vision of a better time. All of those things are relevant and current today." Despite the cancellation of her live album release tour, Downes launched the album through a livestream concert on April 3 to raise funds for Feeding America in support of national relief efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Benjamin Grosvenor: Chopin Piano Concertos
Benjamin Grosvenor joins forces with Elim Chan and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra for his fifth album on the Decca Classics label. The recording features Chopin's Piano Concertos Nos. 1 and 2, and marks Benjamin's first orchestral album since his 2012 release Rhapsody in Blue. Grosvenor shares, "Chopin was the first composer to whom I felt a strong connection as a child. I have always been drawn to his music, and his piano concertos are among some of the finest in the repertoire."
Ching-Yun Hu: Rachmaninoff/Kocsis Vocalise
Ching-Yun Hu releases the video premiere of Rachmaninoff Vocalise, transcribed by Zoltan Kocsis. The video was filmed in Philadelphia, reflecting the connection that Ching-Yun Hu, who was born in Taipei, has to Philadelphia. Ching-Yun Hu is artist-in-residence and on the piano faculty at Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance and is also the founder of the Philadelphia Young Pianists Academy Piano Festival.
MidWeek Mozart with Orli Shaham
Pianist Orli Shaham launches MidWeek Mozart! For this project, Shaham shares a sneak preview of a track from her forthcoming album of Mozart piano sonatas every Wednesday to be enjoyed through Friday. Shaham's multi-year Mozart recording project began last autumn with the release of her concertos album with St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and continues into 2021.