Anthony Romaniuk's Top Five: Piano Day 2023
Pianist Anthony Romaniuk presents an exclusive selection of his Top Five piano pieces in celebration of World Piano Day 2023.
Read more…Rachmaninoff/Bach: Prelude BWV 1006
We begin with Bach, although it's a Bach filtered through another deity of the keyboard realm: Rachmaninoff. Many of my favourite recordings were made by performers born well before 1900, primarily because they all seem to share an admirable freedom and spontaneity in their music-making. Rachmaninoff plays with a certain 'flow' which I find utterly riveting - one seldom feels closer to Bach than with such early and unencumbered recordings.
Friedman: Chopin op. 55/2
Another early recording and a rather famous one, Ignacy Friedman's irreproachable Chopin Nocturne. The variety of textures and layers is scarcely to be believed, how such independence within and between the hands is even possible. While this recording is indisputably a technical marvel, it's ultimately the sheer lyricism and emotion in his interpretation which stays with the listener long after the notes have faded.
Levin: Mozart KV 457: III. Molto Allegro
The improvisatory spirit and boisterous wit in Mozart's music is reanimated through the musicianship and pianism of Robert Levin. This recording, on Mozart's own piano (a Viennese piano from c. 1785), departs from the score often and willingly, all the while using the timbral extremes which only such early instruments can offer. Hear the growling, snarling bass in the coda, for example, executed cross-hands; and how the final chord threatens to rip the strings from the soundboard.
Jarrett: Over the Rainbow
Choosing a single Keith Jarrett track for this playlist was an almost impossible task, such is the quality and breadth of his output. This gorgeously contemplative live version of Over the Rainbow highlights Jarrett's bell-like sound and endless invention without veering into esoteric realms. In other words, it allows us mere mortals a somewhat accessible glimpse into his genius musical mind, which can sometimes feel distant and beyond comprehension.
Frahm: Ode
Nils Frahm is perhaps the odd one out on this playlist, but his music is personally significant for several reasons. Firstly, in that he is one of a number of musicians inhabiting the (admittedly broad) space in between classical music and electronic music - often producing surprising and refreshing results. Also in that he is an explorer of timbre, searching beyond inherited sounds, as evidenced by his choice of the astonishing Klavins Vertical Concert Grand for this recording (that bass!!!). This simple but lovely composition is typical of much of his work, showcasing his keen senses of harmony and mood.