Raffi Besalyan The Return (Wbra)

Thoughts of home dominate much of the music Raffi Besalyan performs here. Rachmaninoff's B-Minor Prelude, inspired by Arnold Bocklin's painting 'The Return', was a constant companion in his exile, a favorite for his own recitals and a reminder of his years in Russia. Based in Moscow for much of his adult life, Arno Babajanian (1921-83) looked back to his native Armenia in music that mixed Rachmaninov and Chopinesque influences and Armenian folk idioms with the virtuosic pianism of the Russian school. Mr. Besalyan, an Armenian pianist based in the US, brings their music together in a program infused with warm memories, evocations of far off places, and reminders of earlier times. Raffi Besalyan made his formal New York debut in Carnegie Hall after winning the Artists Int'l Competition. He has established an international reputation as a magnetic and passionate recitalist, orchestral soloist, and chamber musician. A keyboard phenomenon that needs to be heard by everyone interested in pianists and the piano. - Fanfare Magazine A formidable pianist with a commanding presence and rich interpretive gifts. - American Record Guide.