Chamber Works (Incls Viola Sonata by Glinka)

"In this beautifully recorded recital Rysanov makes out an excellent case for taking up teh Franck A major sonata, his arrangement judiciously steering a middle course between the violin and cello versions, but gaining an extra degree of richness of tone in the upper registers."
(Chamber Choice of the Month BBC Music August 2007)

Maxim Rysanov is re-defining the art of viola playing for a new generation. This Ukrainian-born, London-based artist is, quite simply, one of the world's finest and most charismatic viola players. "Romantic expression", says Rysanov, is the thread that unites the half-dozen works on his solo debut disc with Taiwanese pianist Evelyn Chang. Spanning the better part of two centuries, all of the works on this recording stem from a particular romantic - or romanticized - perspective.

And if anyone can coax the kaleidoscopic aspects of romance out of the viola it's Maxim Rysanov, whether in Brahms' vivacious FAE Sonata, Enescu's robust Concert Piece, or Glinka's delicate Sonata. The two movements by Frank Bridge exhibit the composer's own skill on the instrument, to which Franck's Sonata lends its romantic ardour perfectly. The disc's "encore" is an enchanting miniature written for Rysanov by Bulgarian-born, London-based Dobrinka Tabakova.

Maxim joins Avie's roster of superb young artists whom the label has developed with great success, for example the BBC Music Magazine Award-nominated pianist Luiza Borac, and Gramophone Editor's Choice Vivaldi specialist Adrian Chandler.

critical acclaim for Maxim Rysanov:
"the most talented violist of his generation" - The Strad

"a stunningly virtuostic and expressive performer" - Classical Music

"My rival has arrived!" - Yuri Bashmet