Miroirs - Ravel Piano Works Alexander Krichel

• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Le tombeau de Couperin, M. 68:
• 1 I. Prélude 03:29
• 2 II. Fugue 03:28
• 3 III. Forlane 06:13
• 4 IV. Rigaudon 03:35
• 5 V. Menuet 04:50
• 6 VI. Toccata 04:11
• Miroirs, M. 43:
• 7 I. Noctuelles 05:07
• 8 II. Oiseaux tristes 04:28
• 9 III. Une barque sur l'océan 07:06
• 10 IV. Alborada del gracioso 06:52
• 11 V. La Vallée des cloches 05:56
• Gaspard de la nuit, M. 55
• 12 I. Ondine. Lent 06:29
• 13 II. Le Gibet. Très lent 06:30
• 14 III. Scarbo. Modéré 10:26
• Total Runtime 01:18:40

Info for Miroirs - Ravel Piano Works

Der junge Pianist Alexander Krichel gewann bereits für sein Debütalbum einen ECHO Klassik und begeistert regelmäßig Publikum und Presse mit einem Spiel, das "klar, hell, durchsichtig und von flüssiger Virtuosität" ist (Rondo).

Dieses ist auch auf seinem neusten Album zu bewundern, denn es ist jenen drei großen Klavierzyklen von Maurice Ravel gewidmet, die jeden Pianisten herausfordern und jedem Hörer den Atem rauben: "Le Tombeau de Couperin", "Miroirs" und "Gaspard de la nuit". Ersteres versprüht, obwohl es ein Trauerstück in Gedenken an den französischen Barockkomponisten François Couperin ist, tänzerische Delikatesse und gehört zu Ravels erfolgreichsten Werken.

Die beiden weiteren Zyklen zählen zu den Schlüsselwerken des französischen Impressionismus. "Miroirs" spiegelt in 5 Sätzen nicht nur Natur- und Stimmungsbilder wider, sondern alle Farbnuancen des Klaviers. Krichel wählte es bewusst als Mittelstück, denn "Gaspard de la nuit" offenbart als Vertonung dreier schauriger Gedichte die dunkle Seite Ravels. Eine musikalisch packende Reise zwischen Licht und Schatten, die höchsten technischen Anspruch vom Pianisten erfordert.

Alexander Krichel, Klavier

Alexander Krichel
Born in Hamburg in 1989, Alexander Krichel started to play the piano at the age of six. He became a pre student at Hamburg University of Music and Drama at the age of 15. From 2007 he continued his studies with the legendary Vladimir Krainev at Hanover University of Music and Drama. He is currently studying under the tutelage of Dmitri Alexeev at Royal College of Music in London. Alexander Krichel is a winner of several international and national piano competitions and was awarded the renowned the ECHO Klassik as Newcomer Of The Year in 2013.

In 2011 Alexander Krichel signed an exclusive recording contract with SONY Classical. His first album for Sony, 'Frühlingsnacht', was released in February 2013 to great acclaim from critics and the public alike, and entered the German classical charts straightaway.

His second album for SONY Classical that contains works for piano and orchestra by Mozart, Chopin and Hummel was released in September 2014. It was produced with the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra under Wojciech Rajski.

The third SONY Classical production will be a Rachmaninov album that is going to be published in 2015.

Alexander has performed in nearly all German major concert venues such as Konzerthaus Berlin, Hamburg Laeiszhalle, Munich Herkulessaal and Prinzregententheater, Cologne Philharmonie and Düsseldorf Tonhalle. Future recital engagements feature débuts in Vienna Konzerthaus (Austria) and Zurich Tonhalle (Switzerland).

The festivals he has appeared at include the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Rheingau Music Festival, the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Festival, the Schwetzinger Festspiele, the Kissinger Sommer and the Ocean Sun Music Festival.

Outside Germany, Alexander Krichel has played in England, France, Italy, Poland, Romania, Luxemburg, Switzerland and farther afield in the USA, Japan and South America.

Last season featured his acclaimed débuts with Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under Jonathan Nott, Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra under Aleksandar Markovich, Chamber Orchestra of Staatskapelle Berlin, Lucerne Festival Strings, Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra and Orquesta Filármonica Nacional de Venezuela.

For the 2012/13 season, Alexander Krichel was admitted to Bayer Kultur's stART programme. The culture department of pharmaceuticals and chemicals company Bayer will be sponsoring him for a period of three years, and Krichel will give numerous concert performances under their aegis. In addition, he receives scholarships from the Oscar & Vera Ritter Foundation and the PE Foundation and is a RCM Scholar supported by a Kenneth and Violet Scott and a Hilda Houssart Award.

This album contains no booklet.