Namoradze / Namoradze - Arabesque [CD]

Nicolas Namoradze came to international attention in 2018 upon winning the triennial Honens International Piano Competition in Calgary, Canada-the largest piano prize in the world. For his Steinway label debut, Namoradze performs works by Schumann as well as his own compositions. He writes: "This album presents some of my reflections on the work of Robert Schumann, from both pianistic and compositional viewpoints. The program is centered on two arabesques, and the structure of the recital is itself reminiscent of an arabesque-like texture, interleaving Schumann's work with my own. The opening sunrise of Schumann's Songs of Dawn is followed by a pair of arabesques, Schumann's work exerting an influence on aspects of the formal structure of my piece of the same name. Two considerably more virtuosic and extroverted selections complete the program: Schumann's monumental Humoreske followed by three of my piano etudes."