Tchaikovsky & Chopin Ingolf Wunder

• 1 1. Allegro non troppo e molto maestoso - Allegro con spirito 19:52
• 2 2. Andantino semplice - Prestissimo - Tempo I 06:19
• 3 3. Allegro con fuoco 06:48
• 4 1. Allegro maestoso 19:46
• 5 2. Romance (Larghetto) 09:51
• 6 3. Rondo (Vivace) 10:04
• Total Runtime 01:12:40

Info for Tchaikovsky & Chopin

Young soloist Ingolf Wunder proves himself here with bags of swagger and skill, says Jessica Duchen, even if he's not always in agreement with Ashkenzy's orchestra.

'A brilliant young pianist covers two of the piano repertoire's best-loved works . . . This scintillating recording was made live at St. Petersburg's 2012 'White Nights Festival'. Here Wunder is accompanied by the magnificent St. Petersburg Philharmonic under the baton of the legendary Vladimir Ashkenazy . These are works that Ashkenazy knows well -- he has performed them himself as a pianist hundreds of times -- and he brings crisp, precise support to Wunder's reading. In Ashkenazy's own words, Wunder offers a performance that is 'convincing, fresh and interesting.' Certainly there are moments that are revelatory in these familiar works as Wunder gives every note appropriate weight and emphasis.' (Classic FM, London)

'Virtuoso dash and daredevil virtuosity come leaping out of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No.1 as soon as this performance at Russia’s most famous music festival gets under way. The young soloist is Ingolf Wunder, winner of the second prize at the Chopin International Piano Competition 2010 and lucky enough to have been snapped up by Deutsche Grammophon afterwards. The conductor is the veteran maestro and pianist Vladimir Ashkenazy, whose feel for tempo is unerring, giving the Tchaikovsky’s great opening melody plenty of swing and swagger.

He and Wunder admittedly do not seem to be in perfect agreement at all times, but that slight sense of edgy tension is part of the fun of live recordings; and the freshness of Wunder’s playing is well-nigh irresistible. If you’ve got it, flaunt it, he seems to say, zipping through Tchaikovsky’s pyrotechnics as if this is the easiest thing in the world.

The Chopin concerto, though, is a fine counterbalance – especially the slow movement, a perfect nocturnal song without words from the youthful Polish composer, who adored bel canto opera. Wunder’s legato tone and gorgeous feel for phrasing make the piano’s melodic line sound, quite simply, like a singer. This quality is Chopin’s ultimate challenge, far beyond all that fingerwork, and he meets it marvellously. The orchestra’s style is rather full-on in this concerto, which could use subtler playing; Russian-sounding Chopin is a tad paradoxical. But the thrill of the live concert, and those special moments of magic, make this a must-hear disc.' (Jessica Duchen, Sinfini)

Ingolf Wunder, piano
St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
Vladimir Ashkenazy, conductor

Ingolf Wunder
achieved worldwide recognition at the 2010 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, winning Second Prize and several special awards including the Best Prize for Concerto and the Best Prize for Polonaise-Fantasy. As a prize-winner in this competition, Wunder follows in the footsteps of many of the world's most famous musicians including Martha Argerich, Krystian Zimerman, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Mitsuko Uchida and Maurizio Pollini.

Born in Austria, Ingolf Wunder started his musical education playing the violin at the age of 4; however it was years later that his talent for the piano was discovered. He went to conservatories in Klagenfurt and Linz, later studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. He remains in regular contact with his mentor Adam Harasiewicz, the Polish pianist and winner of the 1955 Chopin Piano Competition. Aged 14, Wunder made his debut in the Schubert hall of the Wiener Konzerthaus. Two years later he performed Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris with the Orchestre National de France and Emmanuel Krivine.

Since then he has performed extensively throughout Europe, Asia and America at venues such as the Tonhalle Zurich, Musikverein Vienna, Wiener Konzerthaus, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin and at festivals such as La Roque d'Anthéron, Ruhr Piano Festival and Schubertiade Hohenems. 2011 saw a highly successful tour of Japan with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra under Antoni Wit, followed by recitals in St. Petersburg, Virginia and Vancouver.

In the 2012/13 season Ingolf Wunder will perform with orchestras such as the hr-Sinfonieorchester, NHK Symphony Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker under the baton of Kazushi Ono and Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin with Kazuki Yamada. He returns to Warsaw Philharmonic for concerts with Antoni Wit. In recital he performs at Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Conservatoire de Musique Geneva, Wiener Konzerthaus, Musikverein, Berlin Philharmonie, Munich Prinzregententheater, Stuttgart Liederhalle and Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall amongst others.

Ingolf Wunder records exclusively for Deutsche Grammophon. His first recording, a Chopin recital recording, was released in June 2011. In summer 2012 he recorded his second solo album ("300") which will be released in January 2013.

Ingolf Wunder has previously won several other competitions – amongst them Turin (European Music), Hamburg (Steinway), Feldkirch (“Prima la musica”), Asti (Concours Musical de France), Casarza (“VI Trofeo Internazionale”) and Budapest (Liszt).

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