program:
Homage to Horațiu Rădulescu (1942-2008) SA CD 1 Calotrope of the Eternal
Ortwin Sturmer, piano
SA CD 2 Lao Tzu Sonatas Second Piano Sonata “being and non-being create each other” Op. 82 (1991) 13:38
Fourth Piano Sonata “like a well…older than God” Op. 92 (1993) 15:41 Ortwin Sturmer, piano
SA CD 3 “The Quest” Concerto for Piano and Large Orchestra Op. 90 (1996) Ortwin Sturmer, piano live recording
This edition was made possible by the generous support of Dr. Bernd Geiss and Rolf Peter Ditter Press:
“Critic's choice” – Gramophone asks critics to choose their favorite CD of the year
16 September 2019, Paco Yanez wrote: (…) La edición de NEOS, empaquetada en un cofre de cartón, es muy bella, comprendiendo fotografías, datos biográficos, ejemplos de partituras, textos manuscritos del compositor y los datos técnicos de un lanzamiento discográfico obligado para quienes deseen conocer no sólo la m usica de Horaţiu Rădulescu sino cómo lo más folclórico y arcaico se puede abrazar a lo más moderno. (kingad the full article here)
Richard Whitehouse wrote: Although he never quite made the transition from cult artist to mainstream composer, Horaţiu Rădulescu (1942-2008) is widely regarded as a seminal figure in post-war European music, as this collection of his complete works for piano goes some way towards confirming. (…) Ortwin Stürmer was crucial in encouraging Rădulescu's return to the piano, having premiered Sonatas Nos 2 4 as well as the Piano Concerto (1996), which places its composer's thinking within a more inclusive, even panoramic context. Only the first of these discs is newly recorded but the other two have been remastered to convey the precision and panache of Stürmer's pianism with impressive clarity. Booklet notes and presentation are exemplary even by Neos's high standards and this set is cordially recommended as an example for a composer like no other.
In issue #2_2019 Egbert Hiller wrote: “If something doesn’t get to the core, it’s just cosmetic,” the Romanian-French composer Horațiu Rădulescu once remarked, and he strictly rejected “cosmetics.” (…) ... in Rădulescu's piano works, which pose enormous interpretative challenges, it is important to create “magical” intensity and avoid any “cosmetics” and “new music” clichés. The pianist Ortwin Stürmer fulfills this requirement in every respect. The three CDs cover a creative period of 40 years - from the Omaggio to Domenico Scarlatti op. 2, which Rădulescu wrote in Bucharest in 1967, up to his last work: the Piano Sonata No. 6, composed a year before his death Return to the source of light (2007). (...) Stürmer also did a great job with the stoic repetitions in the third movement of Sonata No. 5 (2003), the insistent style in the second movement of Sonata No. 3 (1992/99) and and and... Furthermore, his interaction with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (today Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra) under the direction of Lothar Zagrosek in The Quest op. 90 (1996), Rădulescu's Piano Concerto (...) leaves nothing to be desired. The exciting booklet text by Hartmut Möller rounds off a CD publication that puts this music, which is still unknown to many people, in the right light.
March 2019 Horațiu Rădulescu's sonatas are among the most remarkable piano literature that the late 20th century has to offer. (…) In this respect, this first complete recording marks an editorial masterpiece with electrifying interpretations; the pianist Ortwin Stürmer worked closely with the Romanian composer and also premiered many of the works. (…) This also applies to the piano concerto “The Quest” (1996), where Rădulescu's exploration of the deep layers of sound is sublimely illuminated in color and harmonically by the Feldman-tested Frankfurt Radio Orchestra. Dirk Wieschollek
https://www.pizzicato.lu, 30 Oct 2018 The Romanian-French composer Horatiu Radulescu (1942 – 2008) is one of the most renowned exponents of spectral music, who mixed this technique with mythical ideas. His avant-garde approach is probably scientifically justified, but at the same time paired with an alert mind and emotional power. The truly extraordinary sounds we hear here show Radulescu's creativity and inspiration, marked by the motto: « I love beauty. » The German pianist Ortwin Stürmer has always championed the works of Radulescu, and the composer also dedicated a number of pieces to him. Ortwin Stürmer invests fully in showing the many facets of Radulescu's music and bringing the forms to life. The piano concerto is particularly interesting, the finely tuned harmonies of which the pianist and the orchestra conducted by Zagrosek express wonderfully. Some of the recordings were already available individually on CD from cpo and have now been compiled as SACDs from NEOS. What is new, however, is the CD with the 5th and 6th sonatas. It is a first release. Remy Franck |
