Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18 Budafok Dohnanyi Orchestra, János Balázs & Gábor Hollerung

• Sergey Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943): Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18:
• 1Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: I. Moderato11:44
• 2Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: II. Adagio sostenuto – Più animato – Tempo I11:28
• 3Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18: III. Allegro scherzando12:15
• Total Runtime35:27

Info for Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18

Rachmaninov's work is one of the emblematic works of the late Romantic period, with almost every aspect of the style. If one were to describe the work with a single simile, the conquest of infinity would come to mind. This can be interpreted equally as the work's emotional dimensions, its dazzling virtuosity, its composer's exacting demands, its consistent dramaturgical contrasts, its theatricality in the best sense and, of course, its captivating realisation of one of the most puzzling questions of Romanticism: glorification.

Rachmaninov's piano concertos are always a great challenge for pianists, as the composer wrote them for himself, exploiting his own amazing physical and mental gifts. These works set a standard for all pianists. In the performance heard on this recording, János Balázs - who can clearly be regarded as the heir to György Cziffra - takes possession of Rachmaninov's piano concertos with playful ease and is thus the proud possessor of the infinite. (Gábor Hollerung)

János Balázs, piano
Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra
Gábor Hollerung, conductor

János Balázs
He is keen to demonstrate his improvisation skills in various areas beyond the classical stage, such as jazz, world music, or folk music, which is always imbued with classical music’s values and the 20th-century tradition of improvising.

Music critiques highlight the delicacy and diverse colours of his piano playing, his unlimited dynamic scale and his fascinating virtuosity. Attending János Balázs’ concerts is a genuine time travel, as he evokes with full force the intimate ambience of the composers and pianists of the so-called 19th century golden age, like Franz Liszt or Frédéric Chopin.

He is a returning artist of the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow, the Cologne Philharmonic, the Liszt Academy and MüPa in Budapest. He has given celebrated concerts on the stages of the Cité de la Musique, Palau de Musica, Barbican Centre, Wiener Konzerthaus and the Royal Conservatory. He collaborated with such famed orchestras and conductors as Charles Dutoit, Gábor Takács-Nagy, Peter Eötvös, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Iván Fischer, the Royal Concertgebouworkest, Mikko Franck and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France.

Gábor Hollerung
Liszt Ferenc Prize winning conductor, chorus master; Meritorious Artist of Hungary; Executive Music Director of Budafok Dohnányi Ernő Symphonic Orchestra; master conductor of Budapest Academic Choral Society; Arts Director of Zemplén Festival; founder and Art Director of the Budapest International Choir Competition.

He was second conductor of Miskolc Symphonic Orchestra. Master conductor, Executive Music Director of Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra. Conducted several Hungarian orchestras as guest conductor.

He was first guest conductor of Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, musical consultant for Philharmonia Singers, Tel Aviv. In addition to playing concerts with a great number of European orchestras, he has been guest conductor for Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, Cincinatti Symphony Orchestra, Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, Guangzhou Symphony Orchestra and National Symphony Orchestra Taiwan.

Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra
The Budafok Dohnányi Orchestra (BDO) is Hungary’s most dynamic and versatile symphony orchestra. It is supported by the Municipality of Budafok-Tétény (22nd District of Budapest). It was turned into a professional orchestra in 1993, to gain recognition on the Hungarian and international music scene and become one of the top classical music ensembles in a short time under the baton of Liszt Award winning conductor, Artist of Merit, Maestro Gábor Hollerung.

BDO has been able to perform with many of the greatest Hungarian and internationally acclaimed artists, including Shlomo Mintz, Elena Bashkirova, Jaakko Ryhänen, Erika Miklósa, Andrea Rost, René Barbera, Pietro Spagnoli, Bruno de Simone, José Carreras, Andrea Bocelli, Rivka Golani, Roberto Paternostro, Jörg Peter Weigle, Michael Stern, Tatjana Vassilieva, Zoltán Kocsis, Jenő Jandó, Dezső Ránki, Gergely Bogányi, János Balázs, Paul Huang, Tamás Pálfalvi, Kristóf Baráti and Barnabás Kelemen.

Booklet for Rachmaninov: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18