MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2023
Approaching 60,000 reviews
and more.. and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


REVIEW


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

Availability:
JCL Records


Costas Fotopoulos – Piano
Sergei RACHMANINOV (1873-1943)
Three Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 39 [12:22]
Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42 [19:18]
Costas FOTOPOULOS (born 1974)
Toccata [4:59]
Sergei RACHMANINOV
Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 36 (1913 Edition) [26:09]
Costas Fotopoulos (piano)
Recorded at Dukes Hall, Royal Academy of Music, London on 7-9 July 2008 DDD
JCL RECORDS JCL514 [62:45]
Experience Classicsonline


Costas Fotopoulos has made some good choices from Rachmaninov’s piano repertoire for his debut CD. The two substantial works on the disc are the Corelli Variations and the Second Sonata, the first of which catalogues many of the varied styles in Rachmaninov’s piano works: the heavy Slavic, the delicate Rococo the lyrical vocalise, while the latter is a substantial showcase for virtuoso pianism. Between them, the two works give Fotopoulos the chance to display both his stylistic versatility and his technical skill.

The programme opens in a relatively subdued mood, at least for Rachmaninov, with three of the Op.39 Etudes-Tableaux (numbers 4, 5 and 6). There is drama here, though, and Fotopoulos gives engaging performances, without sacrificing precision or clarity for the passion of the moment. The same is true of the Corelli Variations, although there is a slight tendency here for undue restraint, not a lack of rubato, dynamics or pedalling so much as a lack of spontaneity in their application. A secure reading though, with an impressive sensibility to the stylistic variety between the variations.

Fotopoulos has divided his musical studies between the piano and composition, and the next work on the disc is his own Toccata, composed in 2001. Film music is an important part of his portfolio (as is accompanying silent films) and filmic qualities are immediately apparent in the piece. Jump-cuts between styles and tempi pull the music between different moods and colours. Two styles predominate, a florid classical idiom – I’d like to say in the style of Rachmaninov, but it is closer to Ravel – and a selection of jazz textures, off-beat chords and vampy moto perpetuo obligattos. The convincing, if brief transitions between the two are impressive, and speak of long hours spent fitting piano improvisations around silent films.

Given this mastery of instantaneous musical gear changes, it is curious that Fotopoulos has opted for the original 1913 version of Rachmaninov’s 2nd Sonata. As he points out in the liner notes, the main difference between the two versions is that the smooth and often lengthy transitions between sections in the original are replaced in the revised version with briefer and more functional modulations. It is an engaging performance, though, combining a technique that is more than secure enough for Rachmaninov’s virtuoso textures with an acute ear for the harmonic colours that the composer draws from the piano.

The CD is part of an interesting recording project. The label JCL Records has been set up by Jonathan Cooke, who is also the pianist’s agent. At a time when orchestras and venues are sticking it to the man and setting up their own labels, it seems agents and artists’ managers are also picking up on the idea. This CD is well recorded, professionally presented and programmed to play to the performer’s strengths. All in all, it seems the ideal way to make a recording debut.

Gavin Dixon

 
 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools




Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.