Russian Piano Music Series: Volume 1

Dimitri Kabalevsky (1904 – 1987)- Piano Sonata in F Major, Op. 46
Track 1: Allegro con moto
Track 2: Andante cantabile
Track 3: Allegro giocoso
Nikolai Myaskovsky (1881 – 1950) – Song and Rhapsody Op. 58
Track 4: Andante cantabile e rubato
Track 5: Allegro assai
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 – 1975) – Piano Sonata no 1 Op. 12
Track 6: Allegro – Meno mosso – Adagio – Allegro -Poco meno mosso – Adagio – Lento – Allegro – Meno mosso – Moderato – Allegro
Ronald Stevenson (b. 1928) – Recitative and Air (DSCH)
Track 7: Recitativo – Senza misura , Aria – Adagio
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 – 1975) – Piano Sonata no 2 in B minor, Op 61
Track 8: Allegretto
Track 9: Largo
Track 10: Moderato
Rodion Shchedrin (b. 1932) – Tschastuschki: Concerto for Piano Solo
Track 11: Allegro assai

A wonderful CD of Russian Piano Music with works by Shostakovich, Kabalevsky, Myaskovsky, and Shchedrin

As a composer of piano music, Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904 – 1987) is best known today for his educational pieces and his optomistic third piano concerto, also originally written for young pianists to play. His substantial solo music includes three sonatas and a set of 24 preludes. The third sonata was written in 1945 and is one of the most significant and popular sonatas in the Soviet repertoire.

Nikolai Myaskovsky (1881 – 1950) counted Kabalevsky and Khachaturian amongst his scores of students over the years, and his activities as conductor, editor and critic were impressive and extensive. But as a composer his productivity was staggering and exceptional by any standards, and his music includes 27 symphonies, a violin and a cello concerto, 13 string quartets, songs, many piano pieces, 9 piano sonatas and this late and beautiful flowering from 1942.

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906 – 1975) was still a student when he worked as a twenty-year-old on his extraordinary vituoso one movement ‘Sonata no 1’ from September – October 1926.

Ronald Stevenson (b. 1928) is Britain’s leading composer-pianist. In addition to decades of performances, lectures and broadcasts, his achievements include the publication of a history of Western Music, and extensive research into the music of Feruccio Busoni and Percy Grainger. As a composer his productivity is equal to that of Villa Lobos and Milhaud, including hundreds of songs and piano pieces in particular, as well as full scale works for orchestra.

Rodion Shchedrin (b. 1923), one of the most distinguished and celebrated living composers and the doyenne of Russian musicians, is especailly prolific in music for ballet, orchestra and piano. his masterpiece, the opera ‘Lolita’ was performed under the baton of Rostropovich, one of the many champions of his music.