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Sergei Rachmaninoff: Transcriptions on CD

Rachmaninoff in the hands of Marek Kozak - mastery without ostentation

To this day, Rachmaninoff's four concertos remain a touchstone for pianists

around the world. His piano transcriptions of music by other composers

(and of two of his own songs) do not attract so much attention, but what

they tell us about the composer and his life is just as interesting. His

arrangements place him alongside Liszt and Busoni, masters of the genre,

whose transcriptions are both tributes to the originals and unique

creations with a sonic aesthetic of their own. Rachmaninoff wrote most

of his transcriptions between 1921 and 1929, when he was busily performing

concerts and making recordings. On the concert stage, they allowed him

to demonstrate his phenomenal technique. Among the supreme examples

of his transcriptions are Mendelssohn's popular Scherzo from the incidental

music to A Midsummer Night's Dream and three movements from Bach's

Partita in E major for solo violin, BWV 1006. The 1941 arrangement

of Tchaikovsky's Lullaby from the cycle Six Romances brings Rachmaninoff's

entire oeuvre to a symbolic conclusion as a remembrance of his revered

teacher and of an extraordinary human being. Each transcription bears

witness to the humility and profound integrity of the composer's approach

to such arrangements. Virtuosity, integrity, and humility are no less

characteristic of the performer on this recording. Following his successful

debut album featuring neglected Czech piano concertos (Kovarovic,

Borkovec, Kapralova - Supraphon 2024), Marek Kozak demonstrates his

mastery even in this - only seemingly - unassuming genre.