Daniil Trifonov - Silver Age (2020) [Hi-Res]

Daniil Trifonov pays homage to music created during a pivotal period in Russian history

Daniil Trifonov’s new album, Silver Age , recorded with Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Orchestra, recalls a time when Russia’s composers, poets, artists, dramatists and star performers were among the most original anywhere in the world. It illustrates the artistic audacity and brilliance of a turbulent era in the country’s history with works by three of its most pioneering composers: Scriabin’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in F sharp minor Op.20, Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No.2 in G minor Op.16 and Stravinsky’s Three Movements from Petrushka . The tracklist also comprises Stravinsky’s Serenade and excerpts from the composer’s piano suite version of The Firebird , together with Prokofiev’s Sarcasmes Op.17, Piano Sonata No.8 in B flat major Op.84 and the “Gavotte” from Cinderella Op.95 No.2

Daniil Trifonov’s choice of music mirrors the inventive variety of this brief but explosive cultural moment. “ Scriabin ,” he notes, “wished to combine all aesthetic experience in a single, mystical, musical vision; Stravinsky unified the arts through a radical re interpretation of ballet; Prokofiev , meanwhile, embraced cinema as the most complete and modern synthesis of the senses.”

Having paved the way for future artistic achievements, the spirit of Russia’s Silver Age is justly celebrated in these new recordings.

“All credit to the young Russian virtuoso pianist Daniil Trifonov for beginning his artist in residence season at the New York Philharmonic … with a scintillating account of this Scriabin rarity … [He] played with an uncanny balance of tenderness and flair: call it soft spoken virtuosity.” New York Times , 28 November 2019