Konstantin Lifschitz – J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach & P. Seabourne: Toccatas & Fantasies (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Konstantin Lifschitz - J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach & P. Seabourne: Toccatas & Fantasies (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

Konstantin Lifschitz – J.S. Bach, C.P.E. Bach & P. Seabourne: Toccatas & Fantasies (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:24:41 minutes | 1,84 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Willowhayne Records

A fascinating juxtaposition – the seven early toccatas of Johann Sebastian Bach are interleaved with the 6th of Peter Seabourne’s nine Steps cycles, the concept of renowned Bach player, Konstantin Lifschitz. Far from the Romantic toccata style, these canvases are multi-sectional kaleidoscopes of texture and tempi – each a miniature world encompassing virtuosity, intimacy and narrative. In the masterly hands of Lifschitz the result is a monumental journey of extraordinary invention.
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Konstantin Lifschitz – Beethoven: 32 Sonatas (2020) [Official Digital Download 24bit/48kHz]

Konstantin Lifschitz – Beethoven: 32 Sonatas (2020)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 11:53:54 minutes | 6,39 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Alpha Classics

In a world like ours, shaped by centrifugal forces, even a monumental corpus like Beethoven’s thirty wo piano sonatas can appear in a new light. Chronological examination of its genesis reveals fascinating parallels. – The Sonatas op.2 were published in the last year of the French Revolution. The ensuing wave of political migration reached Vienna and also affected Elector Maximilian Franz, who was not only the brother of Marie Antoinette and Emperor Joseph II but had also been Beethoven’s employer in Bonn. – Beethoven gave compositional form to the triumph and downfall of a tyrant who brought war to Europe and occupied Vienna. – After the international peace conference of 1815, he vigorously embarked on writing modernistic late works in opposition to the emerging police state and its postmodern entertainment culture. Konstantin Lifschitz applies strict criteria in order to realise the groundbreaking compositional dynamics of these works. He shows his musical independence by supplementing the cycle of sonatas with the Allegretto WoO 53, and still has much to tell us about it, defying past and present fashions. The fact that he recorded the massive cycle live on eight consecutive days also makes this set a monument in its own right.

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Daishin Kashimoto, Konstantin Lifschitz – Beethoven: Complete Violin Sonatas (2014) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Daishin Kashimoto, Konstantin Lifschitz - Beethoven: Complete Violin Sonatas (2014) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

Daishin Kashimoto, Konstantin Lifschitz – Beethoven: Complete Violin Sonatas (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 04:30:51 minutes | 4,61 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics International

Violinist Daishin Kashimoto and pianist Konstantin Lifschitz make their debut together on Warner with Ludwig van Beethoven’s complete violin sonatas, decidedly an ambitious undertaking. Neither artist has an extensive discography, and this is their first release as a duo, so one can imagine that the pressure of recording these sonatas in the studio must have been considerable, despite their prior experiences of playing them in recital several times. There is no question that Kashimoto has a strong affinity for Beethoven that is apparent in his nuanced phrasing and passionate playing, and that Lifschitz is with him every step of the way as an alert accompanist. Both appear to have agreed to play the notes before them, without recourse to historical styles or trends, so the interpretations are mainstream and unsurprisingly direct. Yet there is a spontaneity in the playing that suggests the sonatas haven’t been over-rehearsed or over-thought, and that both musicians are still seeking new ideas and expressions in each performance. The trimline box set contains four CDs in cardboard sleeves, and the sonatas appear in numerical order. Despite being recorded in two separate studios, in Stalden, Switzerland (sonatas 1, 6, 7, and 8) and Berlin, Germany (sonatas 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, and 10), the sound is fairly consistent throughout, with only slight variances of presence and volume levels. –AllMusic Review by Blair Sanderson
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