Rifkin's performances of the piano rags by Scott Joplin (1868-1917) were hugely important in their reverential, serious treatment, presenting ragtime as something of equal worth to classical music. In Joplin's case, it's well deserved - he honed the emerging syncopated piano style of the late 19th century to a fine art, full of harmonic life and great subtleties. To make sure this wasn't overlooked, Joplin noted on many of his original scores "Do not play fast - It is never right to play ragtime fast", and Rifkin keeps both tempi and dynamics in check (unless the piece genuinely demands otherwise) to let this gorgeous music speak for itself. I chanced across this CD a few weeks back and it's been in heavy rotation ever since - I'd only heard the evergreen opening pair of tunes before, but there's so much more to Joplin than that, and new joys emerge with every listen.
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