Brahms: Piano Sonata No. 1 (SACD)

Although the Sonata in C major is by no means Brahms' very first composition, it bears the number "Op. 1" and is undoubtedly one of the most brilliant debuts in music history. No wonder that none other than Robert Schumann regarded Brahms as the savior of German music. Another masterpiece was needed to accompany this work, which was brilliant in every respect, and what better than Franz Schubert's famous "Wanderer Fantasy", the most virtuoso composition of his entire oeuvre. With this "orchestral" composition, Schubert opened up new expressive possibilities, eclipsing Beethoven and seeming to anticipate Franz Liszt. The latter composer and pianist, with his transcendental virtuosity, also had to be represented on this CD, and we find him with his masterful transcriptions for piano of five Schubert songs. When Alexandre Kantorov became the first French pianist to win the gold medal at the Tchaikovsky Competition in 2019 at the age of 22, his program included no less than three works by Johannes Brahms. We were therefore eagerly awaiting his recording of the German composer's works. With this release, Kantorow completes his cycle dedicated to Brahms' piano sonatas. The previous installments received the highest praise from the music press around the world as well as the most prestigious awards such as Gramophone's Editor's Choice, the Diapason d'Or and Classica's Choc.