Steinway & Sons Releases Stanislav Khristenko’s Enchanting Debut Album, Fantasies
The Ukrainian born pianist, consistently praised for his alluring combination of deep sensitivity and impeccable technique, conjures a sonic wonderland on his Steinway & Sons debut, released digitally May 6 and physically May 27. In addition to Schumann’s Phantasie in C Major, Op. 17, an iconic work of the early Romantic repertoire, Khristenko delves into Fantasies by Brahms, Bruckner and Zemlinsky. Khristenko will perform his debut recital at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Hall on Monday, May 19, 2014, at 7:30pm. Tickets are $35–$45.
Praised by The Washington Post for his ability to “spin a story,” Stanislav Khristenko builds his raconteur reputation on Fantasies, his poignant Steinway & Sons debut album due out in May. An homage to the Romantics, Khristenko brings his unhurried tenderness and superlative technique to Fantasies by Schumann, Brahms, Bruckner and Zemlinsky.
The disc opens with Schumann’s beloved Phantasie in C Major, Op. 17, of which he wrote to Clara Wieck “the first movement may well be the most passionate I have ever composed — a deep lament for you.” The piece, dedicated to Franz Liszt, is a technical marvel and Khristenko rises to its challenges, suspending a shimmering, celestial surface over the work’s earthy emotional core. His performance of this piece at the 2013 Cleveland International Piano Competition helped him to capture the top prize.
On Bruckner’s Fantasie in G Major, Khristenko applies a subtle, intuitive rubato that perfectly captures the sweet longing of deceptively powerful miniature. He savors the darkness of Zemlinsky’s fin de siècle Fantasien über Gedichte von Richard Dehmel, Op. 9, with the sparkling runs of the final movement arriving like long-awaited rays of sunshine. For Brahms’s seven-movement Fantasie, Op. 116, Khristenko flexes his muscles on the Capriccios, exacting dexterous control over all 10 fingers, while never losing sight of the complex emotional tapestry that Brahms wove into his structures.
About Stanislav Khristenko
Stanislav Khristenko's performances have captivated audiences since his first solo recital at the age of eleven. A “poet of piano,” and “an architect of grand style” (Le Soir), Mr. Khristenko has been praised in the media around the globe. Spanish El Pais wrote of his “precise technique, powerful sound and fingers of steel.” The Washington Post said “it was clear that Khristenko knows how to spin a story; his pacing was mature and unhurried, the dynamic range wide, and his fingers exhibited power and sensitivity.” Cleveland Plain Dealer described his performance as “shimmering filigree and phrases of exquisite tenderness, in which every note mattered.”
Mr. Khristenko has appeared as a soloist with the National Symphony Orchestra of Belgium, the Cleveland Orchestra, Phoenix Symphony, Hong Kong Chamber Orchestra, Berliner Musikfreunde Orchestra, Takamatsu Symphony Orchestra and Moscow Conservatory Orchestra, among others. His performance highlights include solo recitals at Carnegie Hall, Vienna Konzerthaus, L'Auditori de Barcelona; and performances with orchestra in Grosser Hall of Berlin Philharmonie, Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Severance Hall in Cleveland, Moscow Conservatory Great Hall, and Hong Kong City Hall.
Mr. Khristenko has won top prizes at some of the most prestigious international piano competitions. In 2013 alone he won First Prize at the 2013 Cleveland International Piano Competition, First Prize at the 2013 Maria Canals International Music Competition, and was named Fourth Laureate at the 2013 Queen Elisabeth Competition.
Born in Ukraine, Mr. Khristenko is a graduate of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory and the Cleveland Institute of Music.
About Steinway & Sons label
The Steinway & Sons music label was founded in 2010 and has produced many phenomenal albums since its inception. Recordings on the Steinway & Sons record label can be purchased through ArkivMusic.com as well as Amazon, iTunes and other fine retailers around the globe. This collaboration under the umbrella of the historic Steinway & Sons is a perfect vessel for producing the finest quality recordings by some of the most talented pianists in the world.
About Steinway & Sons
Since its founding in New York in 1853, Steinway & Sons has been considered the world's premier piano manufacturer. Known for their exceptional craftsmanship, Steinway & Sons pianos are built in one of two company-owned and operated factories: Astoria, New York and Hamburg, Germany. Steinway & Sons pianos are still constructed primarily by hand, using many of the techniques developed over 160 years ago. Today, Steinway & Sons also offers the Boston and Essex piano lines, Listen, a magazine for music and culture lovers, and the Steinway & Sons record label. For more information, visit www.steinway.com.
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