New Arrivals/Restock

Title: New Paths
Artist: Mari Kodama
Label: Pentatone
Product Type: SUPER-AUDIO CD
UPC: 827949097669
Genre: Classical
Release Date: 2022-11-18
Number of Discs: 1

Mari Kodama presents New Paths, exploring the young Johannes Brahms and his fascinating friendship with Clara and Robert Schumann. The album derives it's title from Robert Schumann's famous essay "Neue Bahnen", in which he heralded the young Brahms as the most eminent musical voice of the future. The program brings together Brahms's first piano sonata, his Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 9, as well as his Theme And Variations, Op. 18B, made at Clara Schumann's request. The final word is given to Clara's arrangement of Robert's song Widmung. New Paths not only explores the unique bond of these three remarkable composers, but also shows the energetic self-confidence of the young Brahms, so different from his later melancholia. Kodama performs these works on a brand new Yamaha piano that almost sounds like a period instrument, coming much closer to Brahms's sound ideal. Mari Kodama is one of the most extraordinary pianists of our age, and has an impressive Pentatone discography, featuring Beethoven's complete piano sonatas (2003-2014), piano concertos of Loewe and Chopin (2003), Tchaikovsky Ballet Suites for Piano Duo (2016), de Falla's Nights in the Gardens of Spain (2017), Martinu's Concerto for Two Pianos (2018), Kaleidoscope, Beethoven Transcriptions and MON AMI Mon amour (both 2020).

Tracks:
1.1 Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1~I. Allegro
1.2 Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1~II. Andante
1.3 Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1~III. Allegro molto e con fuoco - Più mosso
1.4 Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 1~IV. Allegro con fuoco - Presto non troppo ed agitato
1.5 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Thema. Ziemlich langsam
1.6 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 1. L'istesso tempo
1.7 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 2. Poco più moto
1.8 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 3. Tempo di tema
1.9 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 4. Poco più moto
1.10 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 5. Allegro capriccioso
1.11 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 6. Allegro
1.12 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 7. Andante
1.13 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 8. Andante (non troppo lento)
1.14 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 9. Schnell
1.15 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 10. Poco adagio
1.16 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 11. Un poco più animato
1.17 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 12. Allegretto, poco scherzando - Presto
1.18 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 13. Non troppo Presto
1.19 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 14. Andante
1.20 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 15. Poco adagio
1.21 Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9~Variation 16. [Adagio]
1.22 Theme and Variations, Op. 18B
1.23 Myrthen, Op. 25, No. 1: Widmung