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Daniil Trifonov returns, with a unique homage to his legendary idol, Sergei Rachmaninov, and his first studio album for DG - a dazzling collection of hits, rarities and a world premiere. In the great tradition of Russian pianist-composers, Trifonov may be rightly considered an heir to Rachmaninov - a passionate virtuoso at the keyboard and a Romantic spirit in his own compositions. With this album, the young artist pays tribute to his illustrious musical foreher with a fascinating program comprising three sets of Rachmaninov Variations: the hyper-virtuostic Variations on a theme of Corelli and the rare Variations on a Theme of Chopin for solo piano, along with the famous and much-loved Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for piano and orchestra. Rounding out the program, Trifonov showing himself as a brilliantly inventive and appealing composer, he offers - Rachmaniana a touching, original work in homage to the master. The famous 18th Variation from the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is one of the most beautiful and instantly recognizable melodies in all of classical music used numerous times in movies and tv commercials the world-over. The Philadelphia Orchestra has its very own connection to the Rhapsody: it gave the world premiere of the work in 1934, with the composer at the piano. Now it is being conducted by DG s highly accled Yannick Nézet-Séguin who gets constantly rave reviews for his performances with the orchestra. In Fall 2015, Trifonov will have Rachmaninov residencies with the New York Philharmonic and London Philharmonia. Review ------ Virtuosity is one thing, youthful exuberance another. Many aspiring talents survive on just one of these qualities. A lucky few have both. No one combines them with musical maturity the way Daniil Trifonov does. The technical brilliance is always at the service of his powerful imagination. The exuberance is controlled by his natural musicianship. What makes him such a phenomenon is the ecstatic quality he brings to his performances an all-consuming intensity-of-belonging on the public platform that translates into something thrilling, absorbing, inspiring. --The Financial Times What mattered, and made this such a dazzling event, was the total conviction, the wash of fresh light that the soloist shone on a familiar work. The pointilist precision that turned runs into taut little storylines and chords into multi-hued meditations; the unexpected accent that reconfigured a phrase into something witty or piercing; the ache and yearning of his lyrical lines, made more powerful by his never milking them … All these details and more were molded into something by turns gripping, lush, wistful, wanton; and, in sum, rhapsodic in the broadest sense of the term. --San Francisco Classical Voice Trifonov's performance was a marvel, a mixture of exuberance and fabulous subtlety. --The Guardian