Preludes & Romances

The Russian pianist REM Urasin is most closely associated with Chopin, winning numerous prizes and performing every piece the composer wrote over the course of 11 concerts in 2009/2010. Here, though, he turns his attention to his native repertoire, transforming 15 Shostakovich preludes into brilliantly astringent showcases for cello and piano and transcribing 10 Rachmaninov songs in a similar manner. The contrast between the agitated, angular energy of the preludes and the richly melodic warmth of the romances could hardly be more marked. Urasin and cellist Boris Andrianov make a formidable duo, playing with rigorous intensity - particularly in the crazily satiric Prelude No 5 - and a touchingly languid lyricism.