This is something special. Nelly Akopian-Tamarina is a pianist of the Russian old school, part of a tradition stretching back to Rubinstein and Rachmaninov, and was winning competitions in the 1960s. But since the early years her public performances have been rare, her recordings even more so – this all-Brahms disc has waited over 20 years to be released. It is captivating. The sense of intimacy in the Third and Fourth Ballades is perhaps explained when you read that they were recorded after session hours when she thought she was alone, unaware that the producer had slipped into the studio and turned on the microphone. There’s a feeling of time being suspended throughout, of Brahms’s long spans being masterfully, seamlessly moulded with a finely graded, delicate touch. Alongside the four Ballades we hear the mighty Handel Variations, to which she brings a sense of quiet resolve and onward motion that is irresistible.
