A recording of J.S. Bach's 'Preludie in C' played by Neil Balfour.

When J.S. Bach began working on his epic Well-Tempered Clavier in 1722, chances are he wasn't thinking that it would become one of the defining musical texts in keyboard history. But, somehow, it has - and the Prelude No. 1 in C Major is where it all starts.

The Well-Tempered Clavier (there are two volumes of it, each containing a prelude and a fugue in each musical key) kicks off in C Major, the most 'natural' musical key, so he obviously made sure that the first entry is a good one. Few pieces of keyboard music sound so delicate and fragile, but there's a very Bach-ian stability to it as well. 

It's a strikingly simple piece to begin with, gently phasing through different chords and registers, but it's one of those pieces that demands to be tinkered with. Consequently, you'll hear plenty of different interpretations of this much-loved work.

Prelude No. 1 In C Major | Bach

Tchaikovsky   Piano Concerto No 1, B Flat Minor, Op 23 Open   Best Of Classical Music

My take on Chopin's saddest little prelude.  Two and a half minutes of ache.


Chopin Prelude No. 4 In E Minor, Op. 28

Live Piano Recording. A notable and well-known piano solo composition by virtuoso pianist Franz Liszt. 

Franz Liszt - Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2

Steinway & Sons Model D 274 Concert Grand Piano. Live Piano Recording. Orchestral String from Garritan Instant Orchestra. I hope you love the melancholy theme of this song.

Frédéric Chopin - Waltz In B Minor, Op.69 No.2 (No.10) (Orchestrated Version)

Aquarelle not in the sense of tranquil watercolour, but a lively picture of water dancing and flowing every which way

SWW set 8 no6

The Chopin Fantaisie-Impromptu is one of those iconic pieces of the classical piano repertoire. It is arguably played too much so why have I added my performance? I think the infinite ways a piece can change in the hands of different musicians is actually very interesting. My version is fast but lyrical and I search for an unexaggerated and natural romanticism and warmth.

You can also follow me on Spotify at https://spoti.fi/2MRR1lV and stream the albums I have released there.

Fantaisie-Impromptu Op. 66 - Chopin

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71a. III. Waltz of the Flowers

New England Conservatory Chamber Orchestra coached by Donald Palma performs Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings. Recorded live October 14, 2011 at NEC's Jordan Hall.
For more information: http://necmusic.edu

Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings in C major, Op. 48 -  Waltzer

"Through its dynamic co-operation TrondheimSolistene (the Trondheim Soloists) and 2L has always sort to stretch the boundaries of what is possible to convey to the listener, aiming for the ultimate recorded listening experience. With the Serenade the team has taken things one step further with the TrondheimSolistene truly justifying their name. By placing each individual next to someone from a different voice rather than sitting in conventional sections we are working at the very outer limits of what is possible and creating chamber music at the highest level" - Øyvind Gimse, 2012.

http://www.2l.no/pages/album/090.html

We allocated two weeks in 2011 to record this new album. Artistic director Øyvind Gimse and his associate Geir Inge Lotsberg initially chose two pieces that represent, in their estimation, "the most beautiful music ever composer for the string orchestra": Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence and his Serenade for Strings. Aiming for a 90 minutes program left 30 more minutes to record. So the orchestra and 2L logged on to Facebook and asked the listeners worldwide what they'd like to hear. And the audience responded: Nielsen's Suite Opus 1. A little gem that would exploit the Trondheim Soloists' singular way with Nordic repertoire.

Inspired by Morten Lindberg's extensive work with choral music, the Tchaikovsky's SERENADE was recorded with the ensemble placed in mixed voices, meaning no one is sitting beside anyone playing the same part, creating a totally new soundscape to the music. Carl Nielsen's SUITE opus 1 is recorded in a more "traditional" way in these sessions: Facebook Photo Album - Recording Sessions Part I

What we recorded in May 2011 is now published exclusively as high resolution audio files, by streaming and on vinyl. Then our recordings from October will add up to a full release on Pure Audio Blu-ray in May 2012.

DXD (352.8kHz/24bit) DMM (Direct Metal Master)
180g audiophile grade vinyl

TrondheimSolistene (The Trondheim Soloists) are regarded as one of the top chamber orchestras in the world. Their DIVERTIMENTI and FOLK STYLE were both nominated for a total of five American GRAMMY Awards in categories "Best Small Ensemble", "Best Engineered Album" and "Best Surround Sound Album".

The music captured by 2L features Norwegian composers and performers, and an international repertoire reflected in the Nordic atmosphere. The surround sound recordings of Lindberg Lyd not only transforms the entire listening experience, more radically, these innovative recordings overturn some very basic concepts regarding how music is played and even composed. 2L emphasizes surround sound with Pure Audio Blu-ray and HiRes file distribution, and have garnered no less than 12 American GRAMMY nominations over the past six years.

Frédéric Chopin - Waltz In B Minor, Op.69 No.2 (No.10) (Orchestrated Version)

VintagePianist