Tchaikovsky:
The Seasons

Rachmaninov:
Variations on a Theme of Corelli

After the successful release of Grieg's "Lyric Pieces" Japanese pianist Hideyo Harada now presents her second SACD. It unites two strikingly different cycles: Tchaikovsky's musical poetry and Rachmaninov's virtuosic art, which enabled him to create an entire cosmos of musical characters and dramatic tension from a single theme. The interpretation is characterized by finely wrought detail and a profound grasp of internal relationships and larger shape. Virtuosity serves expressive intensity in a recording that offers fresh interpretations while remaining faithful to the spirit of each composer. The Japanese pianist employs flexible tempi - almost reminiscent of respiration - and finely shaded dynamics to plastically shape each detail of Tchaikovsky's Seasons, disclosing unexpected connections between movements. Tchaikovsky did not compose his twelve miniatures on the months of the year as a unified cycle. In this recording, they nonetheless become stages in a vivid musical narrative. In Rachmaninov's Corelli Variations, the work's overarching organization and dramatic conception are brought into high relief. Particularly in this virtuosic and demanding work, Harada's sovereign technique becomes a means of intense and lively expressiveness.