Freddy Kempf plays Rachmaninov, Bach/Busoni, Ravel & Stravinsky

Freddy Kempf has previously recorded ten highly acclaimed solo discs for BIS, of which the latest (BISSACD1820) was described by Gramophone as “a formidable programme formidably played… This is “live” virtuosity with a vengeance, with absolutely no hint of a safety net”. Rachmaninov’s Corelli Variations is inspired by the theme used by Corelli in his violin sonata La Follia which undergoes a radical pianistic treatment taking it through all the sonic and atmospheric possibilities offered by the instrument. With his celebrated transcription of Bach’s Chaconne, Ferruccio Busoni had a very different aim, wanting to shed new light on the work without actually changing it. Ravel’s collection of waltzes was composed as a nod to Schubert and in it Ravel shows the range of his musical palette. Stravinsky’s Three movements from Petrushka is the composer’s arrangement of music from his own ballet, commissioned by Arthur Rubinstein.