Ballet, Stravinsky (composer)
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[Firebird] It would be hard to deny Mäkelä his place in the top tier. He creates a vibrant mood in every episode, even the ones that fill in while pantomime takes place onstage in Fokine’s fairy-tale... —
Awards:
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Presto Editor's Choice, March 2023
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Gramophone Magazine, May 2023, Editor's Choice
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International Classical Music Awards, 2024, Nominated - Symphonic Music
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Opus Klassik Awards, 2024, Winner - Conductor of the Year
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Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
Recommended& other works for two pianos four hands
Marc-André Hamelin (piano), Leif Ove Andsnes (piano)
The two-piano transcription is arguably as exhilarating as the full orchestration [of The Rite], and Andsnes and Hamelin offer a reading that is in turns thrilling, unsettling and beautiful…... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, February 2018, Record of the Month
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Record Review, 10th February 2018, Recording of the Week
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Gramophone Awards, 2018, Finalist - Instrumental
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2018
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Grammy Awards, 61st Awards (2019), Nominee - Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
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Limelight Magazine Recordings of the Year, 2018, Nominated - Instrumental
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Abduraimov serves up one of the noblest and most intelligently shaped Dante Sonatas in the catalogue... You hear long lines and narrative paragraphs instead of pounded-out octaves in an Olympic... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 8th May 2026
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Gramophone Magazine, June 2026, Editor's Choice
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I find Rana nothing less than spectacular. Like Argerich, her volatility grips your attention, and it is coupled with musicianship of a high order. [La Valse] Rana is at her very best here,... —
Awards:
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Presto Editor's Choice, October 2019
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2019, Editor's Choice
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Diapason d’Or, November 2019, Nouveauté
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2019
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2019
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The New York Times, Recordings of the Year 2019
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Gramophone Awards, 2020, Shortlisted - Instrumental
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an outstanding young artist at work...the early Tchaikovsky Scherzo brims over with panache and relish; and Islamey rivals even Berezovsky for the title of cleanest and most exhilarating account.... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 9th June 2017
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Finalist 2017
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Stravinsky - The Fairy’s Kiss & Scènes de ballet
RecommendedBBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Ilan Volkov
What a joy...to hear a conductor with the right instinct for tempo co-ordination and continuity...If only there were more truly sympathetic conductors out there such as Volkov to observe Stravinsky's... —
Awards:
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Building a Library, July 2010, First Choice
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Sunday Times, 2010, Albums of the Year
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Stravinsky: Pétrouchka & Debussy: Jeux & Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un faune
Orchestre de Paris, Klaus Mäkelä
I was particularly impressed with the gorgeous timbres of Mäkelä’s wonderfully evocative account of Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, and the performance of the incredibly subtle... —
Awards:
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Gramophone Magazine, April 2024, Editor's Choice
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BBC Music Magazine, May 2024, Orchestral Choice
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The Introduction is entrancing...It’s pulsating, yet rhythmically crisp...Tam-tams in ‘The Dance of the Earth’ almost leap out from the speakers. It’s not all about power and speed...But when... —
Awards:
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BBC Music Magazine, January 2016, Orchestral Choice
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Gramophone Magazine, November 2015, Editor's Choice
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Building a Library, July 2019, Also Recommended
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Under JoAnn Falletta, the Buffalo Philharmonic plays with warmth and clarity, Buffalo revelling in the sparkling orchestration, while Susan Platts offers brilliantly animated storytelling in... —
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Four Pieces - Four Pianos
RecommendedSchubert, Chopin, Liszt, Stravinsky
Alexander Melnikov (pianos)
They are all works requiring formidable technical ability, and pianist Alexander Melnikov brings clarity of touch and virtuoso flair to them all, transferring as if effortlessly from instrument... —
Awards:
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Presto Recording of the Week, 26th January 2018
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Gramophone Magazine, April 2018, Editor's Choice
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Gramophone Awards, 2018, Shortlisted - Instrumental
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Presto Recordings of the Year, Winner 2018
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Limelight Magazine Recordings of the Year, 2018, Winner - Instrumental
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