Steven Osborne, piano, performs Prelude in B minor by Rachmaninov (Opus 32, n.10)

This is taken from a public podcast download. The performance by Steven Osborne was originally given live in a studio and broadcast on a radio programme on 28 April 2009. The progamme was 'In Tune' on Radio 3 (B.B.C., U.K.).

Steven's appearance on radio was promoting both his new complete Rachmaninov preludes recording (released 21 May 2009) and the tour he was doing, to follow in New Zealand.

The new recording of Rachmaninov's Preludes played by Steven Osborne is available on the Hyperion label in two C.D.s (this Prelude in B minor is included in disc 2, not this shared recording), from Amazon and elsewhere; details at:

http://www.stevenosborne.co.uk/recordings/rachmaninov%20preludes/

I share this other recording here with anyone interested principally because the broadcast live performance had such a great effect on me. I happened to have come across an old recording of an amazing performance of this peice by Cor De Groot in YouTube not long before I happened to hear this on the radio, a piece I loved years ago but haven't discovered for a long time. Steven Osborne's performance really thrilled me, it sounded so pure.

I hope it is O.K. to share this non-commercially, for anyone interested, and by way of promoting Steven Osborne the pianist (and also B.B.C. R.3 and 'In Tune', a station and a program which I recommend). So I don't think there is a copyright infringement from a public podcast of what is now an unavailable recording for which there would be random general interest and also specialist musical interest. No copyright infirngement is intended certainly.

This performance recorded in the studio is otherwise more or less never going to be heard by enquiring members of the public again, as it, with the reams and reams and reams of other great B.B.C. recordings, goes into the B.B.C. vaults. It's possible it may be dusted down from its shelf years in the future when another program or a few, maybe about Steven Osborne, would be being broadcast, but until such imagined times come true, this recording remains unavailable other than sharing with interested people like this. I'm sure this is one of the things that excellent YouTube is for. I know I would love to see the day when, somehow, there is online public access to within the B.B.C.s classical, world, jazz and live recorded pop music vaults, but there is no access at all now. And my sounds are even somewhere in the vaults, with a couple of recordings I played in when I was in student orchestras that Radio 3 broadcast, but I don't have copies of the braodcast recordings and I don't think they're available.

The podcasts of this radio channel are all withdrawn from public downloading after a certain time, naturally as the channel transmits non-stop and is unlikely to be able to offer perpetual podcast downloads of all of its programs.

This is a lower quality transcription of the original recording which I have made, through the only means I have presently to make some kind of version available. I ought to ask listeners to bear that in mind when listening. This isn't claimed to be a representative version, recording or of appropriate quality of that Steven Osborne studio performance. Certainly, it was made in better quality, and louder volume, than this lower k.b.p.s. digital version. But I hope this shared recording transmits at least a good deal of the magic I found in that performance.

The photographs are taken from The Web network. I hope I have found a royalty free photograph of Steven Osborne for the start of the photo montage accompanying the music, it seems like it is, and that explains the low resolution image. And the Russian landscape photos are all Creative Commons royalty free photos. The photos (with author credits) are, in order:

1. RYBINSK RESERVOIR, Dmitry A .Mottl (registered with Wikimedia.org as: Dmottl)

2. SMOLENTSKY SKITE, photographer registered with Flickr.com with the name / tag: alexboi84

3. RIVER VOLGA, (at Nizhny Novgorod, Russia), Vladislav Bezrukov (published on a World Wildlife Fund site page)

4. LAKE BAIKAL, photographer registered with www.pacificenvironment.org with the name / tag mrwright007

Category:

Music

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[lecochonbleu]

Soon after I recorded this, I was on holiday by myself in Sicily, early summertime, cycling.

And at that time and from that time this piece can be to me a most beauttiful Sicilienne. Some people may tell you a Sicilienne does not mean the type of piece is Sicillian, just Italian, but there's no question to me Sicilienne is old Sicillian. I could never be surer - even if I'm wrong, bu I'm not! I know.

This recording now to me is beautiful, dark beaches at night in Sicily and the countryside

[lecochonbleu]

You are educating me (thanks). I take it you mean High Dynamic Range imaging? I didn't know what you meant by HDR, so I've gone and looked it up, and it'll take me a while to make something of what it is. I'm a newcomer to digital photography and videos, my knowledge is quite slim. I hope to get back to you.

[vidraw]

at 2mins, nice photo. HDR maybe?

[lecochonbleu]

Hello again. It took a while to get back to you. In the last 2 or so years I have this sense that I'm detatched from many technological things. I did used to know what H.D.R. is, I've remembered. I realised I'd forgotten the name. When I was choosing that photo to share this video, I remember wondering if that was (what I called) a camera 'multi-shoot' creation, or from more than 1 camera. And I concluded that it's possible with 1 excellent camera with specific settings ranges. I couldn't tell.

[Han321654]

Steven Osborne--- do you know the name Erik Peter Hansen from Salt Lake City Utah? A great pianist : Steven Osborne once played some music for me when I was younger. Music I had composed for a girl.... or maybe just a friend....

[kazuya31]

the beginning support chords are so soft yet so deep. in the middle section, each deep octave has its own quick gravitational pull towards the computer screen. 10/10

[shilloshillos]

I have listened to the preludes cd. I dare say it must be one of the best recordings of the Rachmaninov preludes ever. His interpretation digs deep into Rachmaninov's complex emotions. A must for the Rachmaninovphile!

[ritterkruez]

incredible emotion and pace!

[herisauer]

He was fantastic tonight playing Mozart's Piano Concerto in B-flat K595 with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

[herisauer]

I don`t thik Steven Osborne will complain about your ree advert for him here. He plays this piece fantastically. Hope he will be equally as good playing Mozart n Friday in Glasgow. After hearing ths I am even more looking foward to Friday.