OMNIA
ICSM 001
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)
- Walzer Op. 39
- Liebeslieder Walzer Op. 52a
- Neue Liebeslieder Walzer Op. 65a
Brahms on the piano – volume 1
Fiammetta Tarli & Ivo Varbanov, piano four hands
The performance of Fiammetta Tarli and Ivo Varbanov are consistently stylish and enjoyable: these musicians resist the temptation to over-inflect this music, but they are always alert to details and always find an attractive range of colour on a beautiful and characterful modern piano by the Bayreuth firm Steingraeber…It is a splendid IRR debut from the new ICSM label. – Nigel Simone, IRR
A dizzying experience… Husband and wife Ivo Varbanov and Fiammetta Tarli bring sparkle and swing…on…the first outing on their new label.—Stephen Pritchard, The Observer
Si respira un’aria di domestica intimita` nell’approccio alla musica di Fiammetta Tarli ed Ivo Varbanov, un po’ perche? utilizzano un grancodaSteingraeber & Sohne dalle sonorita` vecchio stile, calde e ruvide, un po’ perche? fraseggiano in modo affabile, quasi colloquiale, con un tocco non troppo elaborato, come ai valzer brahmsiani ben si conviene. Del resto essere compagni nella vita, oltre che alla tastiera, aiuta ad entrare in sintonia con lo spirito dell’Hausmusik romantica. – Luca Segallo, Musica
Simple and subtle approach of Varbanov/Tarli…Their subtle use of rubato, of agogic accents, of pause and breath belie that they are two separate performers playing here, so in tune, so in sync are their conceptions of this music. This is, simply put, Brahms as it should be played.—Scott Noriega, Fanfare
OMNIA
ICSM 004
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)
- Sonata, Op. 1
- Scherzo, Op. 4
- Ballades, Op. 10
Brahms on the piano – volume 2
Ivo Varbanov, piano
Varbanov, in the all-Brahms album (004), demonstrates impressive muscle and endurance in the sonata, taming its trenchant writing and shaping its sprawling form with disciplined mind and hands. [In] Brahms’s four ballades... Varbanov tells the timeless tales in tones of deep tolling. — Jerry Dubins, Fanfare
Varbanov’s powerful, muscular reading of [Brahms's] op. 1 Sonata leaves no doubt of his authority. I was particularly impressed by the sweep of the first movement and the touching simplicity Varbanov brings to the folksong-based slow movement. — Huntley Dent, Fanfare
OMNIA
ICSM 007
Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918)
- Images (Première série)
- Images oubliées
- Estampes
- La plus que lente
- Deux Arabesques
- L’isle joyeuse
Claude Debussy – Piano works, volume 1
Dennis Lee, piano
Despite the enduring popularity of certain orchestral, vocal and chamber works by Claude Debussy, it is his piano music for which he is most widely renowned. Not only did he enrich the repertoire with many fine scores, he was one of a select group of composers including Chopin and Liszt, who took the genre in a new direction due to his ground-breaking approach to texture, chords, shifting harmonies and the use of the pedal, among other features.
Dennis Lee is a natural pianist for Debussy and Ravel. It is a pure gem and a discovery for the serious music lover and collector.
OMNIA
ICSM 008
Johannes Brahms (1833 – 1897)
- Cello and Piano Sonata Op. 38
- Piano and Cello Sonata Op. 99
Brahms on the piano – volume 3
Jozef Lupták, cello / Ivo Varbanov, piano
Johannes Brahms often consolidated his mastery of freshly explored domains by writing two examples in a specific genre in quick succession. His output consequently features such complementary couplings as the Piano Quartets nos. 1 and 2, (Op.25 and 26), the String Quartets Op.51 nos.1 and 2, the Clarinet Trio Op.114 and Clarinet Quintet Op.115, Six Piano Pieces Op118 and Four Piano Pieces Op.119 and, in the field of orchestral music, the Academic Festival Overture Op.80 and Tragic Overture Op.81. A notable exception to this trend is provided by the two sonatas for cello, which are separated by some 21 years and reflect the composer’s changing circumstances: the first is the product of a young man serving notice of his scholarship and maturity, while the second is the work of an older man writing at the peak of his powers with remarkable vigour and intensity.
OMNIA
ICSM 015
Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918)
- C. Debussy, Préludes, Livres I et II
Dennis Lee, piano
This is the Malaysian pianist Dennis Lee’s eagerly awaited second instalment of Debussy’s complete piano music: the Préludes, Books I and II. With his Préludes, Debussy had accomplished the subtlest of music revolutions. Piano music after the Préludes would never be the same again. They are almost unparalleled in their evocative potency: any child with a vivid imagination will be able to create a story by listening to them, yet their titles appear (in brackets) at the end of each prelude, an unusual practice to encourage a more personal response from the interpreter.
Dennis Lee embarks on these landmarks of piano music with intensity and passion. Many musicians before him have recorded the Préludes; Dennis’s version captivates the listener with his restrained but apposite gestures, multi-layered sound finesse and rhythmic exactness. In this pianist’s hands the Préludes blossom like exquisite flowers and cannot but touch the soul. Unforgettable.
