Radio 3 Record Review
14th May 2022
Record of the Week

Presto Editor's Choice
May 2022

Steven Osborne (piano)

Rachmaninov: Piano Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28
Rachmaninov: Prelude in D minor Op. post. (1917)
Rachmaninov: Oskolki 'Fragments'
Rachmaninov: Oriental Dance, Op. 2 No. 2
Rachmaninov: Vespers, Op. 37. V. Nunc dimittis
Rachmaninov: Moments Musicaux, Op. 16

‘Rachmaninov fans won’t want to miss this’ was Gramophone’s verdict on Steven Osborne’s recording of the Études-tableaux, and this thrilling new release is an equally essential acquisition. Osborne proves a predictably fine exponent of the Faustian Piano Sonata No 1 and is no less compelling in the selection of shorter works which completes the album.

"The Scottish pianist's 2014 recording of the Rachmaninov: Piano Sonata No. 2 is one of my desert-island discs, and his account of No. 1 yields nothing to its predecessor in terms of athleticism, poetry and sheer beauty of sound - Osborne knows exactly when to step on the gas and when to let the music breathe, and as ever his clarity in the thickest passages is such that you could take dictation from the recording if you were so-minded." - Katherine Cooper, Presto Music, May 2022.