Mikhail Pletnev plays Tchaikovsky (2005)

One of the many wonders about classical music is the fact that it continues to flourish in spite of much more aggressive promotion from the pop side - sure,classical music is also advertised but nothing compared to space that media uses for pop stars. Being lover of classical music is almost like being a member of some cult - you keep focused on what you like and ignore the rest. Unfortunately sometimes its simply impossible to keep the track of what's new on the market,because there is such embarrassment of riches out there that often one does not know where to start. With my nomadic life and constant traveling, most of the time I feel like being out of space because there are constantly new albums released and I have no clue about them.

This is where "Gramophone" comes in the picture.

This wonderful magazine covers monthly what is new in classical music,criticizes and recommends new albums,often selecting the-best-of-the-month recordings and thanks to "Gramophone" I had discovered many recordings I would definitely not know otherwise. They selected "Méditation" from this album as recommended piece and boy did I like it,I thought it was the one of the prettiest piano pieces ever,so naturally it ended up in my shopping basket the moment I saw it. The liner notes were of the great interest,since they point at the strange fact that composer himself never thought much about his piano oeuvre : "I'm producing them for money" Tchaikovsky wrote,comparing them to "musical pancakes" but thankfully pianist Mikhail Pletnev takes these piano pieces with utmost care and love,defending them against composers own doubts. Yes,it is cute and perhaps sentimental music that belongs to some intimate salon but it has a undeniable beauty and artist's approach is of such virtuoso that it uplifts everything. Just listen the finale of "Polacca De Concert",Pletnev is simply dazzling!

On the other hand,I really enjoyed quieter,more reflective pieces like "Dialogue" or before mentioned "Méditation" so perhaps I actually like "salon music" whatever that might be.