J. S. Bach:
Concerto in D Minor after Alessando Marcello, BWV 974

Sergei Rachmaninov:
Variations on a Theme of Corelli, Op. 42

Luigi Dallapiccola:
Quaderno musicale di Annalibera

Franz Liszt:
St. François d’Assise:
La prédication aux oiseaux, S.175 No. 1
Apres une Lecture du Dante:
Fantasia quasi sonata, S. 161 No. 7

Alessio Bax plays an Italian inspired programme, picking his favourite pieces taken from a rich history of music from one of the most romantic countries in the world.

He opens the programme with a J.S. Bach transcription of a oboe concerto by Venetian composer Alessandro Marcello, which reveals a deep insight into Bach’s mind. This is followed by Rachmaninov’s last ever work for solo piano, which is incredibly eloquent, introspective and personal. The Dallapiccola continues this eloquent theme, showing some beautifully crafted dodecaphonism. The recording is rounded off with two pieces of Liszt, which take the listener on a multi-legged journey through hell, purgatory and heaven, with beauty and drama along the way.

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Recorded in the Britten Studio, Snape Maltings, Snape, Suffolk, UK from 18th to 20th December 2018