CLASSIC FM. Brahms

CLASSIC FM January 2006 Brahms The Eraly Brahms Piano Sonata No. 1, Op.1. Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9. Four Ballades, Op. 10 Oleg Marshev (pf) Danacord DACOCD 643 The 20-year-old Brahms nailedhis colours to the mast with his Op.1 Sonata in C, an ambitious piece with an opening unashamedly imitating Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" sonata. He aimed high and doesn't disappoint: it's a virtuosic, multifaceted effort. The Ballades are full of fascinating inward byways. Personal agony underpins the Variations, written in tribute to Schumann, Brahms's mentor, then confined to the mental hospital where he later died. Oleg Marshev's interpretaions are faithful, sensitive and upfront, enhanced by a fine touch and deep feeling, even if some of the tempi are...

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Classicalsource. Brahms

CLASSICALSOURCE.COM October 2005 The Early Brahms Brahms Piano Sonata No.1 in C, Op.1 Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann, Op.9 Ballades, Op.10 Oleg Marshev (piano) Recorded in January 2005 in Symfonien, Aalborg, Denmark Danacord DACOCD643 A glorious record in every way, the latest of many that Danacord has made with Baku-born Oleg Marshev. For anyone unfamiliar with Marshev, this release could be a wake-up call, for he is a Brahmsian worthy of comparison with the very best. (more…)

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INTERNATIONAL PIANO. Brahms

INTERNATIONAL PIANO March/April 2006 Brahms The Early Brahms Piano Sonata No. 1, Op.1. Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9. Four Ballades, Op. 10 Oleg Marshev (pf) Danacord DACOCD 643 Oleg Marshev has tackled a very wide range of Romantic repertoire on disc, including a series of Danish Romantic piano concertos and the piano music of Emil von Sauer. Here he turns to music that is more mainstream, though with the exception of the Ballades these works are not as frequently heard as they might be. Brahms's C major Sonata is in fact his second work in the genre (the first was the F sharp minor op.2). Like Mendelssohn's op.106, the shadow of Beethoven's "Hammerklavier" looms large in the...

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GRAMOPHONE. Brahms

THE GRAMOPHONE December 2005 Brahms The Eraly Brahms Piano Sonata No. 1, Op.1. Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9. Four Ballades, Op. 10 Oleg Marshev (pf) Danacord DACOCD 643 Ringing authority in early Brahms from this gifted pianist Having wandered engagingly down the country lanes of Sauer, Pabst and Richard Strauss, the prolific Oleg Marshev, Danacord's gifted star pianist, is firmly on the motorway for his latest venture. The results are impressive. Though at least six works preceded the First Sonata in C major, Brahms's designated op.1 announced the arrival of its 19-year-old composer with unabashed self-confidence. After the expansive first movement, with its barely disguised genuflection to Beethoven and the Hammerklavier, there follows a set of variations...

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AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE. Brahms

AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE November/December 2006 Brahms Piano Sonata No. 1, Op.1. Variations on a Theme by Schumann, Op. 9. Four Ballades, Op. 10 Oleg Marshev (pf) Danacord DACOCD 643 Marshev, born in the USSR and living now in Italy, has been on the international scene for some years; his US debut was in 1991. For Danacord he has made some 30 CDs, mostly of unusual repertory: the complete solo music of Prokofieff, Emil von Sauer’s complete piano music, four discs of Danish piano concertos, and so forth. Marshev shows a strong affinity for Brahms. He has the strength and control to clarify the thick textures of the sonata beautifully. The quicker variations in the Schumann set reveal a great technique,...

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