Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36
Prelude in D major, Op. 23 No. 4
Prelude in B minor, Op. 32 No. 10
6 Moments musicaux, Op. 16
Vocalise, Op. 34 No. 14 (arr. Alan Richardson)

It is still unclear as to the exact date when the world premiere performance of the Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36 by Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) took place, although it is believed to have occured within the month of December 1913 in Moscow, during a tour of over 20 Russian cities in which Rachmaninov performed a variety of his own piano works. It's a work of colossal structure and high technical demands conceived more like a Piano Concerto for one than a solo piano piece. It follows the monumental "Rach 3" by about four years, and most certainly must cause any pianists to shake in their boots before stepping on stage to perform it to a packed hall. It alternates from passages of thrilling virtuosity and power, to moments of deeply personal emotional serenity.

French pianist Jean-Paul Gasparian takes it all in from a lofty perspective, and captures it all in one long sustained breath, unified in conception from start to finish. In a previous review of his recording of music by Chopin, I remarked that not only does he play the music at hand very well, but seems to get absorbed and fired-up by it, and this quality certainly applies here as well. It's all fine and dandy to play the notes accurately, but unless you can project the composer's intent, you end up sounding like a cold fish. This is a fine overview of some of Rachmaninov's works for solo piano that I would strongly recommend to anyone interested in delving deeper within this composer's distinguished output.