Impromptus

Well-known for her chamber collaborations and piano duo with Charles Owen - with whom she is artistic director of the London Piano Festival - this is Katya Apekisheva's first solo album on Champs Hill Records, on which she brings her artistry to Impromptus by Scriabin, Faure and Chopin. She says: quot;In the last few years I have been drawn to Faure's music with it's rich textures and sensuous, dark, hypnotic harmonies. I discovered his Impromptus which are rarely performed, perhaps partly because of their very virtuoso writing. That led me to an exploration of the genre of impromptus more generally: I was excited by the improvisational quality and variety of mood - from playful miniatures to dark, melancholic, profound pieces of music.quot; The Scriabin Impromptus are similarly underrepresented in the discography and are programmed here alongside jewels in the piano repertoire, the Chopin Impromptus. Katya says: quot;These very different composers' styles complement each other yet there is a common romantic thread running through; and I thought that, together, they would make a very beautiful programme centered around the Impromptu form.quot; quot;Apekisheva has fabulous technique, with lovely rounded sound and deeply wrought legato...quot; (BBC Music Magazine)