Great Russian Piano Music
Keegan R. Lerch | Bethlehem, PA | 06/19/2009
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This album is comprised of music for piano by some of the best Russian composers. Featured are Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Anatoli Liadov, Sergei Rachmaninov (Rachmaninoff), Alexander Scriabin, and the relatively unknown Moscovite pianist-composer Nikolai Medtner.
Pianist, teacher, and writer, Paperno (born in Kiev, 1929) emigrated to the U.S. in 1977 and has written the books "Notes of a Moscow Pianist" and "Postscriptum." He is in great form on this album, although his playing could use a little more excitement at times. The pieces he has chosen to record for this album are some of the lesser heard, dare I say, neglected, solo piano pieces, and it is a welcome change to hear them.
The Tchaikovsky meditation, from his last piano opus, was written several months before the composer took his own life. The Four Pieces depicts scenes on the farm (Harvest Song), the hunting chase (The hunt), the beauty of the Fall in Ocotober (Autumn Song) and November (Troika), a favorite encore piece of Rachmaninoff's.
The relatively unknown composer, Anatoli Liadov (1855-1914), was a favorite student of Rimsky-Korsakov, and a teacher of Prokofiev. The variations on a Polish theme combines strong Russian traditions with several Chopinesque variations, and is at times, very strongly influenced by Chopin.
Rachmaninoff's Six Preludes have a common goal of portraying the beauty of Russian nature, while reflecting a wide range of human emotions and technical challenges.
Alexander Scriabin, the intensely creative composer, wrote this incredibly poetic piece earlier in his career. The piece rises and falls through each of the themes that are presented, and gives the impression of spontaneous and youthfulness.
Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951), a Moscovite pianist-composer, created the genre called "Skazka" or "Fairy tale," which is a form of lyrical-narrative piano miniature. The 3 volume cycle of "Forgotten Motives" was composed under extreme circumstances and are filled with unforgettable melodies and themes.
This is a great album of Russian masterpieces for piano, played by a master of the trade. Pick up this CD and revel in these rarely heard piano pieces."