# Russian piano composers (the greats, the criminally neglected, and the in-betweens).



## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

I'm not sure there is (or was) a thread on this topic. But as I was listening to Rachmaninoff's Preludes (Alexander Budyonny, TB Productions label-a great album), it occurred to me the literal plethora of very fine Russian examples of the genre that still beg for and deserve greater exposure. So I said to myself, "yeah let me go ahead and put this topic out there."

It is no doubt that both Rachmaninoff and Scriabin are considered by many (or most) the best Russian composers for the instrument, followed by Shostakovich and Prokofiev (and surprisingly to a lesser extent Tchaikovsky). But as recordings seem to suggest, more or less, Russia has had a tremendously rich tradition in composing and performing music for the piano that is quite on par with that of Germany and France. And yet many, if not, most of these piece have not been making much headway for too long. _For instances, consider the piano works of:_

Mily Balakirev
Anton Rubinstein
Alexander Glazunov
Felix Blumenfeld
Georgy Catoire
Anton Arensky
Nikolai Medtner
Dmitry Kabalevsky
Sergey Lyapunov
Anatoly Lyadov
Vladimir Rebikov
Leonid Polovinkin
Nikolay Myaskovsky
Nikolay Roslavets
Samuil Feinberg (Ukrainian born)
Alexander Mossolov
Anatoly Alexandrov
Arthur Lourie
Sergie Protopopov
Alexey Stanchinsky
Mieczyslaw Weinberg
Sergei Bortkiewicz (Ukrainian born)
Nikolai Kapustin
Alexander Tcherepnin
Modest Mussorgsky
Alexander Borodin
*Worthy of mention:* Edison Denisov, Boris Tchaikovsky, Boris Lyatoshinsky.

It is true that Soviet/Russian artists in particular did little to promote most of the music of those listed (for a variety of reasons). And yet when you listen to them, the range of color, inventiveness, ingenuity, and to some extent, originality, are hardly short of amazing. Indeed, piano works of enduring quality and quantity have always been Russian music's strong suit. _As selected examples, please consider:_

*Balakirev:* His melodic fecundity and boldness are of abundance. Forget "Islamey" for the moment and listen to his sonatas, for they're quite as gripping with an unmistakable Russian voice. The andante movement of his b-flat Sonata is nicely reflective. His Scherzi and Mazurkas to me are as challenging and awe-inspiring as Islamey. It's shocking and even criminal that his piano music remains deep in obscurity.

*Anton Rubinstein:* No doubt he was influenced by Schumann (Sonata no. I), but his oeuvres for pianoforte easily suggest why Tchaikovsky learned a thing or two from his examples. His Melody in F is wonderful. But consider the Deux Morceaux op. 30 and the Trois Barcarolles as captivating examples of his gracefulness and arresting subtlety that would have done Chopin proud.

*Alexander Glazunov:* Although he was an obstinate traditionalist, my goodness how attractively voguish his music is (and with the great Russian that had a good number of tricks up his sleeves). His two piano sonatas are masterpieces (and one can see how Medtner may have stored the development of the Second Sonata in his subconscious). His Theme et Variations (Variations on a Finnish Folk Song), quite as ambitious as his sonatas, is impressively wide-ranging in invention, atmosphere and color while the Three-Etudes has the tantalizing combination of glitter, profundity, and quiet, autumnal reflection. His Preludes and Fugues are towering achievements in particular.

*Felix Blumenfeld:* Although sometimes not as deep as Rachmaninoff, his music is not as mawkish as some of Sergei's. His 24 Preludes should be up there as a pinnacle of Russian orchestral pianism. But some of his later works points to musical language of 1920s Russia when the Avant-Garde movement was well underway. His "Episodes in the Life of a Dancer" brings to mind some of the uneasy mysticism one finds in the music of Samuil Feinberg, Roslavets, and even Polovinkin around that period.

*Vladimir Rebikov:* Once called the "Father of Russian modernism," his piano music is amazingly wide-ranging in mood, temperament, and character which points to future composers like Stravinsky and the futurist Russian composers. Check out the CDs of his music on Amazon.

*Nikolay Myaskovsky:* Curiously, a large body of his piano music remains unrecorded, despite the arresting qualities we've seen in some of the music recorded thus far. Whether the early sonatas show some of Scriabin's mysticism or the later ones showing the reflective, autumnal side of the composer, Myaskovsky's imprints remain firmly intact.

Yep, my post is long (by necessity perhaps). But please, what do you think?
:tiphat:


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## Guest (Dec 31, 2013)

I should look into Anton Rubinstein's solo stuff from the looks of this. I love his piano concertos!


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## violadude (May 2, 2011)

I don't think you left any room for any other suggestions, not from me anyway.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Except from Rebikov, I do have a fair collection of the mentioned composers, inasmuch as they have been recorded, and I agree with your views. Lots and lots of gems to be found there.

I´d really have to struggle to come up with more names concerning recordings of solo piano music and will largely abstain from that, except from the short-lived *Boris Goltz* ("24 Preludes"), and the works by *Gubaidulina*, where the BIS recording by Rauchs was a revelation to me.

*Feinberg* is IMO hugely underrated, and I enjoy his works just as much as Scriabin´s. *Medtner* has deservedly experienced a renaissance in the recent decades.

*Lyatoshinsky* is not well served on you-tube, since the pianist in most of the recordings there, Demenko, has a very unpleasant, hammering style. The same applies IMO to Lombardi´s *Mosolov*-recordings on Arte-Nova; a more nuanced and emotional approach would serve the works well, in spite of their often "motoric" aesthetics.

EDIT: oh yes, the weird *Ustvolskaya* of course also has a very individual voice.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

dholling said:


> *Felix Blumenfeld:* Although sometimes not as deep as Rachmaninoff, his music is not as mawkish as some of Sergei's. His 24 Preludes should be up there as a pinnacle of Russian orchestral pianism. But some of his later works points to musical language of 1920s Russia when the Avant-Garde movement was well underway. His "Episodes in the Life of a Dancer" brings to mind some of the uneasy mysticism one finds in the music of Samuil Feinberg, Roslavets, and even Polovinkin around that period.


This fellow is known to me for being relative of Karol Szymanowski (through his Polish mother - his father was Austrian, so he is not Russian from descent at all) and I have listened to some of his piano music, which I've found rather pleasant, though far from truely great. Here is my favourite - it's been a long time but it's very memorable, melodic piece that never escaped my memory:


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

I would dispute Rachmaninoff being a better composer for the piano than Prokofiev. It's the other way around.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Rodion Shchedrin has written some interesting stuff, namely the 24 preludes and fugues and the Polyphonic Notebook (recording of both by Murray McLachlan on Olympia).


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Lots of good names here. The one relatively obscure guy that I think should be much better known and recorded is Myaskovsky. I didn't know, as dholling says, that so much of his piano output hasn't been recorded but his piano sonatas are some of my favourites. Half way between Scriabin and Prokofiev in age and in style, can sound very daring and angular but also very subtle. Feinberg is another great composer with very intricate music and I have to put a word in for another obscure name: Tchaikovsky (Pytor) his own symphonic works obscure his very understated piano output but they are definitely worth hearing. Quite a few names I only briefly know such as Stanchinsky, Rebikov, Lyatoshinsky, Catoire who I need to listen to more.

A few other interesting composers:

Ivan Wyschnegradsky: who created microtonal piano works





Rodion Shchedrin: 24 pleludes & fugues as well as his Polyphonic Notebook of preludes





Alfred Schnittke: 3 piano sonatas





Lera Auerbach: contemporary composer with many interesting works including a set of preludes for piano





Boris Pasternak: A big fan of Scriabin before he became more famous as the author of _Doctor Zhivago_


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

violadude said:


> I don't think you left any room for any other suggestions, not from me anyway.


There's always room to comment.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

joen_cph said:


> Except from Rebikov, I do have a fair collection of the mentioned composers, inasmuch as they have been recorded, and I agree with your views. Lots and lots of gems to be found there.
> 
> I´d really have to struggle to come up with more names concerning recordings of solo piano music and will largely abstain from that, except from the short-lived *Boris Goltz* ("24 Preludes"), and the works by *Gubaidulina*, where the BIS recording by Rauchs was a revelation to me.
> 
> ...


Hi Joen,

The Lyatoshynsky and Mosolov recordings you'd mentioned are hard going and definitely lacking in nuance (and the recordings helps little). I agree with you on Feinberg. I can't see how he's passed over given the kinship he has with Scriabin, and yet he remains strikingly individual.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

quack said:


> Lots of good names here. The one relatively obscure guy that I think should be much better known and recorded is Myaskovsky. I didn't know, as dholling says, that so much of his piano output hasn't been recorded but his piano sonatas are some of my favourites. Half way between Scriabin and Prokofiev in age and in style, can sound very daring and angular but also very subtle. Feinberg is another great composer with very intricate music and I have to put a word in for another obscure name: Tchaikovsky (Pytor) his own symphonic works obscure his very understated piano output but they are definitely worth hearing. Quite a few names I only briefly know such as Stanchinsky, Rebikov, Lyatoshinsky, Catoire who I need to listen to more.
> 
> A few other interesting composers:
> 
> ...


The Pasternak work is indeed pretty remarkable (Rachmaninoff meet Feinberg, late Scriabin, Roslavets, late Blumenfeld, early Myaskovsky). Speaking of Myaskovsky, a good amount of his early works have yet to be recorded such as Frolics (parts I-VII), some of the early preludes and fantasies (composed around the turn of the 20th Century), Idyll. Many of them remain unpublished, however.


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> Rodion Shchedrin has written some interesting stuff, namely the 24 preludes and fugues and the Polyphonic Notebook (recording of both by Murray McLachlan on Olympia).


I'd overlooked him, unfortunately. My bad.


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## Huilunsoittaja (Apr 6, 2010)

Arensky is my favorite obscure composer of piano music. His suites for 2 pianos are some of my favorite Russian piano music, period! Check this out:






He always exceeds my hyper-romantic/idealistic expectations.  I _continue _to state my case that I think he wrote this music to present to his audience what he wanted his life to be like, which wasn't at all (he was very depressed and mentally disturbed). Hence, it was therapeutic to get all his hopes and _dreams _out there...


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

^^
I too like Arensky's Suite for Piano Duet. My personal favorite of Arensky's piano music is his Twelve Preludes op. 63. They're lucid, highly poetic, polished, yet elegant. I love Anthony Goldstone's rendition of them (and the others) on the Olympia label (now Divine Art).


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