Fragments from Hans Andersen, Op.58/61
Concert study for piano No.1 in G flat major, Op.9 No.2
Concert study for piano No.2 in F major, Op.32
12 Studies for piano, Op.46

I may be mistaken, but since I can't find any other listings for the Fragments from Hans Andersen, Op.58/61 I would therefore assume that this is the premiere recording of these 10 fanciful pieces for piano based on fairy tales by Danish author Hans Christian Andersen. With characters like The hardy tin soldier, Thumbelina, The metal pig, The bird of popular song, etc... it's easy to envision a composer's imagination invoking capricious and illustrative imagery to capture their essence. And that's precisely what British composer and concert pianist York Bowen (1884-1961) achieves in this suite for piano. During his lifetime he was labelled the "English Rachmaninov" but oddly enough, this particular work brings to mind the music of Grieg or even Claude Debussy's Children's Corner Suite to a certain degree (Bowen actually composed a piece titled "Golliwog's Dance"). They generally require a light and highly articulated touch from the performer which pianist Nicolas Namoradze delivers on all counts.

On the other hand, the Studies reveal a composer more concerned with the technical and muscle memory training aspects of pianism, especially the 12 Studies for piano, Op.46, where each one targets a specific range of arm, wrist or finger control. The Rachmaninov sobriquet is made apparent within the more romantically manifest Concert Studies, in which expressive and dynamic fluency is par for the course.

Pianist Nicolas Namoradze came to international attention upon winning the 2018 Honens International Piano Competition in Calgary, Canada, one of the largest competition prizes in classical music. Like Marc-André Hamelin, his interests gravitate around the more remote composers and lesser-known works of the musical solar system, which is great news for all of us interested in hearing hitherto unrecorded piano works. And if this, in what seems to be his first recording venture is any indication, we are in for some stellar musicianship.