Konstantin Shamray - Bells Across Europe (2026) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Petite Suite: I. In the Monastery
02. Années de pèlerinage, 2ème année, Italie, S. 161: I. Sposalizio
03. Prélude, Choral et Fugue: I. Prélude
04. Prélude, Choral et Fugue: II. Choral
05. Prélude, Choral et Fugue: III. Fugue
06. Images, Book 2, L. 111: No. 1, Cloches à travers les feuilles
07. Préludes: No. 6, Cloches d'angoisse et larmes d'adieu
08. Weihnachtsbaum, S. 186: VI. Carillon
09. Piano Suite No. 3, Op. 18: VI. Choral
10. Piano Suite No. 3, Op. 18: VII. Carillon Nocturne
11. Études-tableaux, Op. 33: No. 7 in E-Flat Major
12. Études-tableaux, Op. 33: No. 9 in C-Sharp Minor
13. Kapel
14. Ave Maria (The Bells of Rome), S. 182
15. Piano Sonata No. 7, Op. 64 White Mass

Bells Across Europe is a major new recording from acclaimed Australian pianist Konstantin Shamray, one of the nation’s most celebrated virtuosos and musical thinkers.

More than a recital album, Bells Across Europe draws on over a decade of artistic exploration and doctoral research, tracing the rich symbolism and sonority of bells across the European piano tradition and revealing unexpected connections between composers, cultures and centuries.

Bells Across Europe invites the listener into a gallery of contrasting musical scenes: celebration in Liszt’s radiant Sposalizio, monastic contemplation in Borodin’s In the Monastery, spiritual awe in Messiaen’s Cloches d’angoisse et larmes d’adieu, and mystical transcendence in Scriabin’s visionary Seventh Sonata, the album’s culmination.

At the heart of the recording is an exploration of how different European cultures developed distinctive bell traditions. The pentatonic sonorities of Central Europe, the richly dissonant bells of the Russian Orthodox tradition, and the luminous colours of French impressionism each find voice in the selected repertoire.

The program also embraces the present day, with Kapel, newly commissioned for this album, by Australian composer Melody Eötvös. Inspired by the sparkling sound of melting icicles in spring, the work blends rolling water and pealing bells into a vivid contemporary soundscape, extending the centuries-old tradition into the 21st century.

Widely admired for combining formidable technique with profound musical insight, Konstantin Shamray first gained international attention when he won the 2008 Sydney International Piano Competition, becoming the only pianist in the competition’s history to receive both the First Prize and the People’s Choice Prize, alongside six additional awards. Since then, he has established himself as one of Australia’s leading pianists, performing with major orchestras and appearing regularly at the country’s foremost concert venues and festivals.

Bells Across Europe showcases Shamray’s exceptional ability to reveal the emotional and psychological worlds hidden within the piano repertoire. Far from mere imitation, the bell sonorities in these works become powerful vehicles for memory, mystery and imagination.