Arash Rokni: With a Little Expression

"Isn't the will not to be expressive already an expression? Perhaps Paul Hindemith asked himself the same question when he wrote the instructions for the player in his "Nachtstuck" not to play without expression, not with expression, but only with a little expression!" • This fascinating concept album juxtaposes piano works which are highly expressive and works which are (on purpose) without or with little expression. The Schumann Variations by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) and the Bunte Blätter by Robert Schumann (1810-1856) are firmly embedded in the 19th century romantic idiom, expressing highly personal emotions. The Dances and Nocturnes by Alexander Mosolov 1900-1973, a Russian experimentalist) and the Suite 1922 by Paul Hindemith (1895- 1963) are written in a fundamentally different style. The music of the «new objectivity», of which Hindemith was regarded as the protagonist, is unsentimental, sober, solidly made in terms of form, transparent and concise. It disdains what is «expressive», without being inexpressive. • Arash Rokni was born in Tehran, Iran. His mother’s attempts to learn the traditional Iranian instrument “setar” and his father’s interest in Western classical music sparked his interest in music. After his education in his home country he went to Germany to study in Leipzig and Koln. He was mentored by Nina Tichman (piano) and Anthony Spiri (chamber music). Arash has also had the privilege of working frequently with Andreas Staier and also with Ferenc Rados, Rita Wagner, Andreas Kemenes, Mahan Esfahani, and Robert Levin. He gained international attention by winning 2nd prize and audience award at the “21st Johann Sebastian Bach Competition” in Leipzig, Germany in 2018.

1: I. Allegro Molto, Sempre Marcato
2: II. Allegretto
3: 3 Variationen Über Ein Thema Von R. Schumann, Op. 9
4: March
5: Shimmy
6: Nachtstück
7: Boston
8: Ragtime
9: I. Ziemlich Langsam
10: II. Schnell
11: III. Ziemlich Langsam, Sehr Gesang-voll
12: IV. Sehr Langsam
13: V. Langsam
14: I. Elegiaco, Poco Stentato
15: II. Adagio

Composer: Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, Paul Hindemith, Alexander Mosolov

Number of Discs: 1

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.