Rachmaninov: The Preludes Claire Huangci

• Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943): 5 Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3 no. 2:
• 1 5 Morceaux de fantaisie, Op. 3 no. 2: Prelude in C-Sharp Minor 04:52
• 10 Preludes, Op. 23 no. 1:
• 2 10 Preludes, Op. 23 no. 1: Prelude in F-Sharp Minor - Largo 03:43
• 3 10 Preludes, Op. 23 no. 2: Prelude in B-Flat Major - Maestoso 03:29
• 4 10 Preludes, Op. 23 no. 3: Prelude in D Minor - Tempo di Minuetto 03:29
• 5 10 Preludes, Op. 23 no. 4: Prelude in D Major - Andante Cantabile 03:59
• 6 10 Preludes, Op. 23 no. 5: Prelude in G Minor - Alla Marcia 03:53
• 7 10 Preludes, Op. 23 no. 6: Prelude in E-Flat Major - Andante 02:59
• 8 10 Preludes, Op. 23 no. 7: Prelude in C Minor - Allegro 02:26
• 9 10 Preludes, Op. 23 no. 8: Prelude in A-Flat Major - Allegro Vivace 03:34
• 10 10 Preludes, Op. 23 no. 9: Prelude in E-Flat Minor - Presto 01:44
• 11 10 Preludes, Op. 23 no. 10: Prelude in G-Flat Major - Largo 03:38
• 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 1:
• 12 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 1: Prelude in C Major - Allegro Vivace 01:18
• 13 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 2: Prelude in B-Flat Minor - Allegretto 03:16
• 14 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 3: Prelude in E Major - Allegro Vivace 02:33
• 15 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 4: Prelude in E Minor - Allegro con Brio 05:15
• 16 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 5: Prelude in G Major - Moderato 03:10
• 17 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 6: Prelude in F Minor - Allegro Appassionato 01:21
• 18 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 7: Prelude in F Major - Moderato 02:10
• 19 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 8: Prelude in A Minor - Vivo 01:40
• 20 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 9: Prelude in A Major - Allegro Moderato 02:56
• 21 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 10: Prelude in B Minor - Lento 05:50
• 22 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 11: Prelude in B Major - Allegretto 02:19
• 23 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 12: Prelude in G-Sharp Minor - Allegro 02:39
• 24 13 Preludes, Op. 32 no. 13: Prelude in D-Flat Major - Grave - Allegro - Grave 05:05
• Total Runtime 01:17:18

Info for Rachmaninov: The Preludes

After her recording of the "Nocturnes" by Frederic Chopin, Claire Huangci dedicates this new recording to another major project: "The Rachmaninov Préludes". As a foretaste of the album, which will be released on September 28th, another track can now be heard in advance!

The 13 Préludes, Opus 32 number 6 in F minor is rather short with 1:22 minutes, but no less fascinating. It was composed in 1910 as part of a piano cycle comprising 13 Préludes, which was also Rachmaninov's last.

Compared to the previous collections, many pieces of the 13 Préludes are musically more demanding and technically more complicated. The composer was now able to present 24 pieces and continue a tradition from Bach to Chopin.

With her penchant for large-scale projects, the Préludes by Rachmaninov were the next logical step for Claire Huangci. The 28-year-old has already been able to show "how to Rachmaninov" in numerous concerts. This is one of the last masterpieces of late Romanticism and a great challenge for pianists. Not so for Claire Huangci!

Claire Huangci, piano

Claire Huangci
Over the years, the young American pianist of Chinese descent has succeeded in establishing herself as a highly respected artist, leaving behind her role of the celebrated child prodigy who once gave a private concert for President Bill Clinton at the age of ten. Claire Huangci captivates audiences with her “radiant virtuosity, artistic sensitivity, keen interactive sense and subtle auditory dramaturgy” (Salzburger Nachrichten).

Claire Huangci began her international career at the age of nine with grants, concert performances and prizes – most recently she was the youngest participant to receive second prize at the International ARD Music Competition (2011). Only in her later teenage years did she finally feel more and more that this instrument was to be her vocation. She received significant input from her teachers Eleanor Sokoloff and Gary Graffman at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia before studying under Arie Vardi at the University of Music, Drama and Media Hanover. She has assisted Professor Vardi since spring 2016. Chopin’s music gave Claire Huangci her artistic breakthrough in 2009 when she won first prize at the International Chopin Competition in Darmstadt, as well as in 2010 at the Chopin Competition in Miami. She has since proved her great versatility with an unusually broad repertoire, which includes a large number of contemporary works. Claire Huangci has performed in solo recitals and as a partner with international orchestras such as the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg, Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (under Sir Roger Norrington), Münchner Kammerorchester, China Philharmonic Orchestra and Vancouver, Santa Fe, Moscow Radio and Istanbul State Symphonies at international concert venues that include Carnegie Hall, Tonhalle Zurich, Konzerthaus Berlin, Gasteig Munich, Gewandhaus Leipzig, la Salle Cortot, Oji Hall Tokyo and the Symphony Hall in Osaka. She has also made guest appearances at festivals such as the Kissinger Sommer, Verbier Festival, Menuhin Festival Gstaad, Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, MDR Musiksommer and the Schwetzinger SWR Festival.

Her debut album, which was released in 2013 featuring recordings of solo works by Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev on the Berlin Classics label, earned widespread praise. A second solo album was released on the same label in 2015 showcasing sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti, for which the pianist selected 39 of the 555 sonatas and presented them in Baroque suites and classical sonatas. In so doing, she illustrates Scarlatti’s transition through music history. The recording was awarded the German Record Critics’ Award and “Editor’s Choice” by Gramophone magazine: “This is Scarlatti artistry of the highest order. (…) It’s gratifying to have followed Huangci’s progression from a 16-year-old prodigy to a 25-year-old artist poised for greatness”.

This album contains no booklet.