PRELUDES / ETUDES-TABLEAUX / MOMENTS MUSICAUX

Sergei Babayan (piano)

A selection of lucid, intimate, and short-from Rachmaninoff works, interpreted with pinpoint technical precision.

“Music is born only in the heart and it appeals only to the heart; it is Love! The sister of Music is Poesy, and its mother is Sorrow!” These are the words Sergei Rachmaninoff used to describe his concept of music.

Sergei Babayan’s interpretations of a selection of Rachmaninoff’s short- form jewels mirror this heartfelt sentiment while also showing his deep and unsentimental understanding of the music. Next to the Études-Tableux, the Préludes and Moments Musicaux, the album contains enchanting, lyrical song transcriptions. After the 2018 release of “Prokofiev for two” with Martha Argerich, this project shows Babayan’s essence as an extraordinarily skillful pianist. Babayan is one of the leading pianists of our time, hailed for his emotional intensity, bold energy and remarkable levels of color.

Rachmaninov:
Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 19
Étude-Tableau, Op. 33 No. 3 in C minor
Étude-Tableau, Op. 39 No. 5 in E flat minor
Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 39
Lilacs, Op. 21 No. 5
Melody, Op. 21 No. 9
Moments Musicaux, Op. 16
Morceau de fantaisie 'Delmo' in G minor (1899)
Prelude Op. 23 No. 4 in D major
Prelude Op. 23 No. 8 in A flat minor
Prelude Op. 32 No. 6 in F minor
Prelude Op. 32 No. 10 in B minor
Prelude Op. 32 No. 12 in G sharp minor