Pianist Boris Giltburg sees Rachmaninov's tudes-tableaux, Op. 39 as cinematic short stories or colourful tone paintings. In contrast, the unashamedly beautiful Moments musicaux are concentrated explorations of a single idea or mood, from struggle and pain towards light and genuine joy. In these collections, which contain some of the composer's most affecting music, Rachmaninov shows himself to be a master of the meticulously crafted short-form genre. Pianist Boris Giltburg's recordings for Naxos continue with some of Rachmaninov's best loved solo repertoire. Giltburg's 2015 Schumann program (8.573399) was widely acclaimed, BBC Music Magazine stating that "His tone is pure velvet, cushioned and almost vocal in quality with never a hint of harshnessand complemented here by excellent recordingand the phrasing is always eloquent." This was followed soon after by a program of Beethoven sonatas (8.573400), admired by Gramophone: "Giltburg's highly articulated fingerwork gives appropriate variety and character to the gnarly writing Naxos provides superb, full-bodied and detailed sound." These works are always popular on record and we have of course visited this repertoire before, notably in highly regarded recordings made in the 1990s by the remarkable Idil Biret. With multiple award-winning artist Boris Giltburg we have the opportunity of bringing a freshly imaginative view onto some of the 20th century's finest Russian piano music, and introducing it to his growing cohort of fans in the 21st. Review Israeli Boris Giltburg's performances are glittering but also darkly soulful .Ft, 06/05/16 /// Giltburg does not disappoint , delivering richly nuanced, well prepared performances of these wonderful scores. Impressive listening. **** --International Piano, July'16 Boris Giltburg's originality stems from a convergence of heart and mind, served by immaculate technique. GRAMOPHONE RECORDING OF THE MONTH.Gramophone , June'16 /// If Rachmaninov envisaged landscapes, Giltburg turns them into sound-sculptures. Performance ***** Recording **** BBC MUSIC INSTRUMENTAL CHOICE --BBC Music Magazine, Aug'16 Rachmaninov wrote two sets of tudes-tableaux, literally study-pictures. Outside the sphere of pianists and Rachmaninov fans, they remain a fairly well hidden secret. The Russian-Israeli Boris Giltburg, in his CD note to the later set, Op 39, describes them as short stories: captivating, meticulously crafted to trim all excess... movies with accomplished cinematography and lighting . Each of the nine jewel-like miniatures in the cycle mostly under five minutes in length possesses a beguiling ambiguity, from brooding to pitch black, interrupted by flashes of light. Giltburg, a natural Rachmaninov interpreter, plays with technical fluidity and honed musicality.**** --The Observer, 05/06/16