Alkan Character Pieces etc
Mark Viner (piano)
Piano Classics PCL10275
Don’t be misled by the quirkiness of the album’s title or the brevity of the pieces in it – there’s a lot more here than mere fripperies and frivolity. Works such the headlong-rushing Le chemin de fer are miniature masterpieces of musical picture painting, played with great flair and no little virtuosity by the admirable Mark Viner. (JP) ★★★★
JS Bach Plucked Bach II
Alon Sariel (mandolin)
Pentatone PTC 5187 109
Bach’s on the mandolin? It’s surprising how well this translates in the capable hands of Alon Sariel, whose second album of self-penned arrangements also features selections from the well-known Violin Sonatas and Partitas. In place of scale and bombast there’s nuance and precision – and a cleanness of line that lays bare Bach’s gorgeous harmonic architecture.
