The Sound of Black and White

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The Sound of Black and White

Label Sono Luminus

Artists Raffi Besalyan

€29,99 EUR

Tax included.

2021 NativeDSD Album of the Year Nominee - Solo Piano

For his second release at NativeDSD, following the album The Return, Pianist Raffi Besalyan and Sono Luminus bring us The Sound of Black and White. The album includes a World Premiere Recording of Oscar Levant’s jazzy "Sonatina".

Besalyan says "This program is a loving tribute to Aram Khachaturian, the towering musical figure from my native Armenia and to George Gershwin, the musical genius from my adopted home, the United States. These two composers are bridged here by the phenomenal pianist/composer and Hollywood superstar, Oscar Levant. Some of the works on the album have been my loyal recital companions since childhood, the others have become such upon my immigration to America as a young adult."

The Stereo DSD 256 and Stereo DSD 512 editions of this album are exclusively available at NativeDSD. Raffi Besalyan - Piano

Tracklist

Total time: 01:11:54

1. Masquerade Suite - I. Waltz

03:56

2. Spartacus - Adagio - Arr. M. Cameron for Piano

08:33

3. Piano Sonatina in C Major - I. Allegro giocoso

01:50

4. Piano Sonatina in C Major - II. Andante con anima, rubato

03:03

5. Piano Sonatina in C Major - III. Allegro mosso

03:41

6. Gayane - Excerpts, Arr. O. Levant for Piano - Lullaby

04:32

7. Piano Sonatina - I. Con ritmo

03:28

8. Piano Sonatina - II. Andantino poco mosso

04:21

9. Piano Sonatina - III. Allegro deciso

03:04

10. 7 Virtuoso Etudes After Gershwin - Excerpts - No. 2, Somebody Loves Me

03:00

11. 7 Virtuoso Etudes After Gershwin - Excerpts - No. 7, Fascinatin' Rhythm

01:48

12. 7 Virtuoso Etudes After Gershwin - Excerpts - No. 4, Embraceable You

03:17

13. 7 Virtuoso Etudes After Gershwin - Excerpts - No. 3, The Man I Love

02:50

14. 3 Preludes for Piano - No. 1, Allegro ben ritmato e deciso

01:31

15. 3 Preludes for Piano - No. 2, Andante con moto e poco rubato

03:35

16. 3 Preludes for Piano - No. 3, Agitato

01:20

17. Rhapsody in Blue - Version for Solo Piano

15:41

18. Gayane - Excerpts Arr. O. Levant for Piano - Sabre Dance

02:24

Additional Information

Label

Sono Luminus

SKU

DSL92249

Qualities

DSD 128, DSD 256, DSD 512, DXD 24 Bit, FLAC 192 kHz, FLAC 96 kHz, DSD 64

Channels

2ch Stereo

Artists

Raffi Besalyan

Composers

Khachaturian, Levant, Wild, Gershwin

Genres

Classical

Original Recording Format

DXD

Instruments

Piano

Release Date

July 23, 2021

Higher Rates Program
Not Available on SACD

Reviews

NativeDSD Album of the Year Nominee

Brian Moura, NativeDSD Technical Advisor

In 2021, pianist Raffi Besalyan followed up his Sono Luminus debut album The Return with a new album, The Sound of Black and White. This album features tributes to the music of Aram Khachaturian, Oscar Levant, Earl Wild, and George Gershwin.

Besalyan is an exceptional pianist. His playing on Embraceable You, Rhapsody In Blue and Sabre Dance are highlights. But there are many more. A fine addition to the Sono Luminus catalog and the piano performances at NativeDSD.

NativeDSD Senior Reviewer

Bill Dodd, NativeDSD Senior Reviewer

A great one, for sure. Super recording!

All About The Arts

Rafael de Acha

This recording of solo piano works by Aram Khachaturian, Oscar Levant, Earl Wild, and George Gershwin features the superb Armenian-American pianist Raffi Besalyan here in his second album for Sono Luminus. It is a memorable album from an exceptional pianist.

Listen to Besalyan’s handling of the Cuban-inflected “clave” rhythms and the choo-choo train humor that Gershwin so inventively injected into his Rhapsody in Blue. Check out Besalyan’s dazzling agility in I Got Rhythm. His laid back, leisurely stride of the left hand in the Three Etudes, and his rippling arpeggios in Embraceable You and in the Debussy-influenced The Man I Love.

The protean technique of this formidable pianist is put to use in all the music heard in this album, as he commands all the intricacies of Khachaturian’s concert, incidental, and dance music, and the awesome challenges of Earl Wild’s 7 Virtuoso Etudes After Gershwin.

Besalyan’s interpretive gifts comfortably encompass the classical and the salon worlds in a truly memorable album from Sono Luminus.

Source: rafaelmusicnotes.com

The Sound of Black and White

The Sound of Black and White

€29,99 EUR

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