Rachmaninoff / Tiu Grand Russian CD

The new album from Singapore-based pianist Albert Tiu features two of the greatest Russian piano sonatas- Tchaikovsky's Grand Sonata in G major, Op. 37, and Rachmaninov's Sonata No. 1 in D minor, Op. 28. Born in Cebu, Philippines, Albert Tiu has been called "an artist of uncommon abilities" by American Record Guide. His 2010 Centaur recording, "Nocturnal Fantasies", featuring Chopin and Skryabin, was dubbed "one of the all-time great piano recordings" by Fanfare. "One of the most inventive recital programs ever seen or heard" (ARG), this "compelling and poetically imaginative recording" (Clavier Companion) was also hailed for "performances where heart and mind unite in a deeply affecting union" (Gramophone). He studied with Jerome Lowenthal at the Juilliard School, with Michael Lewin at Boston Conservatory, and with Nita Abrogar-Quinto and Nelly Castro in the Philippines. A recipient of Juilliard's William Petschek Award and a prizewinner of competitions in Calgary (Honens), Helsinki (Maj Lind) and Santander (Paloma O'Shea), he won the First Prize and two concerto prizes in the 1996 UNISA International Piano Competition in Pretoria, South Africa.