Volodos – Piano Transcriptions (APE)

Composer: Arcadi Volodos, Vladimir Horowitz, Sergey Rachmaninov, Franz Liszt
Performer: Arcadi Volodos
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Sony
Size: 205 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

# Variations on a Theme from Bizet’s “Carmen, ” for piano
Composed by Vladimir Horowitz
with Arcadi Volodos

# Morning, song for voice & piano, Op. 4/2
Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov
with Arcadi Volodos

# Melody, song for voice & piano, Op. 21/9
Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov
with Arcadi Volodos

# Hungarian Rhapsody, for piano No. 12 in C sharp minor (aka “No. 2”), S. 244/12 (LW A132/12)
Composed by Franz Liszt
with Arcadi Volodos

# Litanei, transcription for piano (after Schubert. D 343/1), S. 562/1 (LW A73/1)
Composed by Franz Liszt
with Arcadi Volodos

# The Tale of Tsar Saltan (Skazka o Tsare Saltane), opera in 4 acts with a prologue Interlude: Flight of the Bumblebee
Composed by Nikolay Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov
with Arcadi Volodos

# Pieces (3) for piano (from the ballet Cinderella), Op. 95 No 2, Gavotte
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
with Arcadi Volodos

# Pieces (10) for piano (from the ballet Cinderella), Op. 97 No 6, Orientale
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
with Arcadi Volodos

# Pieces (6) for piano (from the ballet Cinderella), Op. 102 No 1, Valse
Composed by Sergey Prokofiev
with Arcadi Volodos

# Symphony No. 6 in B minor (“Pathétique”), Op.74 Scherzo
Composed by Pyotr Il’yich Tchaikovsky
with Arcadi Volodos

# Trio Sonata for organ No. 5 in C major, BWV 529 (BC J5) Largo
Composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
with Arcadi Volodos

# Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major (“Alla Turca”) K. 331 (K. 300i) Turkish March
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
with Arcadi Volodos

01. Carmen Variations after Vladimir Horowitz (1968 version) (Instrumental)
02. Utro, Op. 4, No.2 from 6 Songs (Instrumental)
03. Melodiya, Op. 21, No. 9 from 12 Songs (Instrumental)
04. Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, S. 244 after Vladimir Horowitz (Instrumental)
05. Litanei, S. 562, No. 1 from Geistliche Lieder (Instrumental)
06. Aufenthalt, S. 560, No. 3 from Schwanengesang (Instrumental)
07. Liebesbotschaft, S. 560, No. 10 from Schwanengesang
08. Flight of the Bumblebee (Interlude from The Tale of the Tsar Saltan) (Instrumental)
09. Gavotte, Op. 95, No. 2 from ballet Cinderella (Instrumental)
10. Orientale, Op. 97, No. 6 from ballet Cinderella (Instrumental)
11. Valse, Op. 102, No. 1 from ballet Cinderella (Instrumental)
12. Scherzo from Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique” (Instrumental)
13. Largo from Trio Sonata No. 5, BWV 529 (Instrumental)
14. Turkish March (Concert Paraphrase), based on Rondo alla Turka from Piano Sonata in A Major, K. 331 (Instrumental)

This recording is simply stupendous. The accolades heaped here in these reviews and elsewhere are all deserved. Although I guess it’s inevitable that he be compared to Horowitz (after all, in both CDs released so far he plays Horowitz transcriptions), I contend Volodos is worthy of praise in his own right. His technique is mind-boggling. Even more stupendous is his phrasing and interpretation. By this measure he departs measurably from Horowitz, who achieved velocity at the expense of accuracy and phrasing. It can even be said that Horowitz lacked warmth in many of his recordings, favoring virtuosity instead. The same cannot be said of Volodos. Consider the Bach Largo on this disc, and the three Prokofiev Cinderella pieces for instance. Volodos uncovers depths previously undiscovered in recordings by Richter, Sandor, Ortiz, Berman, and Chiu, and even in the Orchestral version. That he brings new meaning to ‘old’ music is testament to his maturity and understanding. That he can transcribe a simple melody such as Mozart’s Rondo Alla Turca into a spellbinding yet reverent virtuoso piece is proof he’s a genius. I sense this will be forever regarded as one of the greatest debut albums.