| When Alessio Bax became a father in 2014, his life changed forever. Now the Italian-American pianist dedicates a new Signum Classics album to his baby daughter, with the U.S. release of Lullabies for Mila on February 12. Spanning three centuries of music, his new collection is designed for parents and babies to share, with thoughtfully curated selections from Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Rachmaninov, and Scriabin, and an original recording of the Nocturne from Grieg’s Lyric Pieces. Also featuring his wife, fellow pianist Lucille Chung, and the Southbank Sinfonia under Simon Over, the new release captures Leeds International Competition-winner Bax in examples of the repertoire in which he consistently proves himself to be “among the most remarkable young pianists now before the public” (Gramophone).
In a touchingly intimate liner note, the pianist explains: |
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| “This album is not only a carefully curated playlist of soothing classics to calm a baby and perhaps make him or her fall asleep quicker. It is also a gift from parents to their children, with the hope that they will share music with their loved ones, not just to entertain them but also to enrich their lives. It is a gift from me to other parents, so that at the end of what might have been a challenging and difficult day, they might put their feet up and enjoy a seamless stream of great music spanning three centuries. And it is a little gift from me to my daughter that I hope will enable me, one day, to say thank you for everything she has done and will continue to do to for us and for this world.” |
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| Bax has been called “an ideal Brahmsian” (Fanfare), and Lullabies presents several of the Romantic master’s waltzes and intermezzos. Album highlights also include Bach transcriptions that showcase Bax’s “extraordinary pianism” (Gramophone); the second movement of Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Sonata, demonstrating “the combination of imagination and technical prowess [that] remains the performer’s hallmark” (Audiophile Audition); Rachmaninov’s Vocalise, which reveals his “unteachable ability to tug at the heart strings” (Classic FM); and a taste of the Scriabin that led his recent recording of Russian favorites to be named a 2015 Recording of the Year (MusicWeb International). In partnership with the Southbank Sinfonia, Bax’s Mozart has been praised for achieving a “brilliant fusion between the soloist and the orchestral players” (Classic FM), while, as the UK’s Classical CD Choice put it, his four-hands collaborations with Lucille Chung “demonstrate an almost supernatural understanding of the demands of the duo repertoire.” |
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| Bax plays Bach’s Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D, BWV 1068. |
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| To download high-resolution photos, click here. |
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Alessio Bax: Lullabies for Mila
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Label: Signum Classics
U.S. release date: February 12
Grieg: Nocturne from Lyric Pieces, Book Five, Op. 54 (bonus track)
Rachmaninov: Prelude No. 4 in D, Op. 23
Bach (arr. A. Siloti): Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D, BWV 1068
Bach (arr. A. Siloti): Siciliano from Flute Sonata in E-Flat, BWV 1031
Bach (arr. E. Petri): Sheep May Safely Graze, BWV 208
Brahms: Intermezzo in A from 8 Klavierstücke, Op. 76, No. 6
Brahms: Waltz No. 15 in A from 16 Waltzes, Op. 39 (with Lucille Chung, piano)
Brahms: Waltz No. 2 in E from 16 Waltzes, Op. 39 (with Lucille Chung, piano)
Rachmaninov: Vocalise, Op. 34, No. 14
Beethoven: Allegretto from Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-Sharp minor, Op. 27, No. 2 “Moonlight”
Bach (trans. A. Bax): Largo from Keyboard Concerto in F minor, BWV 1056
Brahms: Intermezzo in A-flat, from 8 Klavierstücke, Op. 76, No. 3
Bach (trans. L. Godowsky): Siciliana from Violin Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001
Bach (trans. A. Siloti): Andante from Violin Sonata No. 2 in A minor, BWV 1003
Scriabin: Prelude for the left hand, Op. 9, No. 1
Rachmaninov: Prelude in G-flat, No. 10 from Preludes Op. 23
Mozart: Larghetto from Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat, K. 595 (with Southbank Sinfonia & Simon Over) |
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