Anton Batagov - Philip Glass: The Complete Piano Etudes (2017)

This concert in particular will never happen again. says Russian pianist Anton Batagov in his notes to his new recording of Philip Glass s Complete Piano Etudes Live in Moscow. Since their publication in 2014, Glass s Etudes have been recorded many times over. The Complete Etudes represent of a body of work which took Glass over 20 years to complete. Anton Batagov s new interpretation is the first to be recorded live. Live in Moscow was recorded at Svetlanov Hall, one of the best venues in the city on a Steinway Model D using Batagov s favorite microphones, Elation KM 901 which present an absolutely natural sound, warm and breathing including that special feeling of being captured live, that special sense of capturing a snapshot in time. Batagov s previous release Prophecies captured a more mystical bent of Glass s early Minimalist style. However in this new recording, Batagov s strong technique and musical background present these Etudes in his own very personal way, in a way they have never been heard before despite adherence to the notes on the page. This new recording is perhaps the first Russian interpretation, but also certainly it is one that bring its own voice to this body of work which has become part of the new classics of our time.