Ukrainian pianist Valentina Lisitsa, who made her debut at the Albert Hall on June 19 this year, had a novel, self-promoted launch to her career on YouTube, where she gained 45 million hits and 55,000 subscribers.
"The most watched classical pianist in history" recently signed with Decca Classics, which rushed out this first disc.
The concert also streamed live on the web for two and a-half hours, having 74,329 views.
Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata is, sadly, the only big work chosen from that programme for the CD, the other 15 tracks being all dazzling encore brevities - virtuoso appetisers rather than solid fare. Impressive artistry though in Liszt (La Campanella, etc), Chopin nocturnes, Rachmaninov and Scriabin pieces.
Highlight: Rachmaninov's Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf
This album of New Zealand composers features the Karlheinz Company, an ensemble founded by John Rimmer and based at the University of Auckland School of Music, which gave its first concert in 1978. John Elmsly, who took over its direction, wrote Ritual Auras in 1982 and this live recording was made in 1992. Other works are by Rimmer, Jack Body, David Farquhar, Eve de Castro-Robinson and others - mostly more recent studio recordings of higher quality. Some works are adventurously experimental but not fully successful. Jeff Lin's Infusing Zen brings an oriental flavour with a 2010 work for flute, viola and harp that is based on a Tang dynasty poem and the pronunciation of Mandarin. Jack Body embellishes field recordings from China.
Highlight: John Rimmer's Pukeko flutters well (flute quintet and soprano Susan Boland)
