Featuring rarely-heard works by Scriabin and Rachmaninoff
Release date: February 15, 2021 on Blue Griffin Recording
Award-winning pianist Zixiang Wang 王子翔 (Wong Tzuh-schi-ANG) shines a light on two lesser-performed works by Alexander Scriabin and Sergei Rachmaninoff. "First Piano Sonatas: Scriabin and Rachmaninoff", released February 15, 2021 on Blue Griffin Recording (BGR579), is Mr. Wang's debut solo album. Praised by audiences all over the world for his passionate and sincere performances, Zixiang Wang's affinity for Romantic and Post-Romantic musical works have led to his exploration of lesser-known music by well-known Romantic composers.
The two main works on this CD are both composers’ first piano sonatas, and were written under vastly different circumstances. Scriabin composed Piano Sonata No. 1 in F minor, Op. 6 at the age of twenty, while he was still a student at the conservatory. The previous summer, he injured his right hand due to excessive practicing. “Incurable” as the doctors told the young virtuoso, the ailment put a devastating end to his performing career, which directly catalyzed his desire to compose “the first sonata with a funeral march”—a funeral for his right hand.
Rachmaninoff’s first sonata, on the other hand, was composed during his mature period. Written following his move to Dresden, Piano Sonata No. 1, along with Symphony No. 2 and the opera Monna Vanna (unfinished) are referred to as the “Dresden pieces”, a group of opera-like compositions influenced by his time conducting opera at the Imperial Grand Theatre. Rachmaninoff did consider, at one point, rewriting the first sonata as a symphony, and later gave up on this idea only because of the work’s “purely pianistic style".
"Scriabin’s keyboard writing style evolved notably," says Zixiang Wang, "from late romanticism to mysticism. However, in this early work we can hear some musical qualities that never left Scriabin – sensibility, colorfulness and philosophical musings attached to the composition." Read more of Mr. Wang's thoughts about the repertoire on this CD and more in our Insider Interview.
TRACKS
Alexander Scriabin
[1-4] Piano Sonata No.1 in F minor, Op.6
[1] Allegro com focoso 8:40
[2] quarter note = 40 4:33
[3] Presto 3:37
[4] Funèbro 5:18
Sergei Rachmaninoff
[5-7] Piano Sonata No.1 in D minor, Op.28
[5] Allegro moderato 14:08
[6] Lento 9:27
[7] Allegro molto 14:32
Rachmaninoff
[8] Prelude in F major 3:58
Award-winning pianist Zixiang Wang has been praised by audiences all over the world for his passionate and sincere performances. His affinity for Romantic and Post-Romantic musical works have led to his exploration of unknown music by well-known Romantic composers.
His recent highlights include performances of Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 with Old York Road Symphony, Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, and a solo recital at the Shanghai Oriental Art Center.
Zixiang has been a prize-winner at numerous national and international competitions, including the 13th Teresa Llacuna International Piano Competition and the William Byrd Young Artist Competition. He has participated in many renowned festivals, including the Philadelphia Young Pianist Academy, Aspen Music Festival, Rebecca Penneys Piano Festival, Sewanee Music Festival, and Perugia Music Festival.
In addition to performing and teaching, Zixiang is also dedicated to building the bridge between Western classical music and audiences from his homeland of China. He has created a lecture series, “Trace of Music”, in which he shares his insight on major Western musical works via Chinese online platforms. Zixiang Wang holds degrees from Shanghai Conservatory of Music (B.M.), The Juilliard School (M.M.), and University of Michigan (D.M.A.).