# Best Medtner pianists?



## mossyembankment (Jul 28, 2020)

Just recently begun getting into Medtner. Seems like Hamelin and Tozer are the main interpreters, but I'm really enjoying this (incidentally I also think the cover is stunning):















Others I should be listening to?


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Try Hamish Milne and Nikolaï Demidenko.


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## Josquin13 (Nov 7, 2017)

With Medtner's piano music, I often feel that the non-Russian (& especially present day) pianists are to some degree on the outside looking in. While I find the older Russian pianists, especially from the Soviet era to be more idiomatic (generally speaking).

Emil Gilels, for instance, didn't record much of Medtner's music, but judging from what he did play, I'd say his Medtner is a prime example of a Soviet era pianist that is more deeply inside this music than is often the case with many non-Russian pianists; even the Australian Geoffrey Tozer, the English Hamish Milne, & Canadian Marc-Andre Hamelin. Which is not to say that Tozer, Milne, and Hamelin aren't very accomplished pianists, and don't offer extremely fine surveys, they do, but I don't always find their interpretations to be benchmark recordings; at least, not when compared to the best of the earlier Soviet pianists (none of whom, however, gave us such valuable surveys).

For example, here is Gilels playing Medtner's Sonata-Reminiscenza, Op. 38 live in Moscow in 1968, recorded by Melodiya (for me, only Sviatoslav Richter gets close to him in this piece, & maybe Grigory Ginsberg...):






However, my favorite Gilels performance of Medtner's Sonata-Reminiscenza, Op. 38 is a live recording from his legendary Carnegie Hall concert in 1969. For me, this is the finest Medtner playing I've ever heard, & my favorite Medtner performance on record (it was also the very first Medtner piece I heard on LP):






Here too is Gilels playing Medtner's well known Piano Sonata in G minor, Op. 22, in a side by side comparison with the recordings by Milne & Tozer:





For me, Gilels is the best of the three, although I like all three performances very much, & each for different reasons. Besides, as mentioned, Gilels didn't record much Medtner, so these other surveys are invaluable! For example, Tozer's Piano Sonata No. 9 , Op. 30 is a remarkably fine performance, too, & Gilels unfortunately didn't record this work:





I've not heard Nikolai Demidenko's cycle of Medtner Piano Concertos 1-3, which has received strong reviews from the British rags & awards, if that means anything to you. I sometimes find their recommendations are too safe & middle of the road myself, & they don't always listen carefully, as was brought to light by the Joyce Hatto scandal years back. However, I did like Demidenko's Schumann Novelletten, which was one of his earliest recordings, and I'd say his Sonata No. 3 for Hyperion is likewise one of the better digital era recordings of that work (although I prefer Lazar Berman myself).

So, Demidenko may be very good in Medtner; although I suspect that--among digital era cycles of Medtner's 3 Piano Concertos--Konstantin Scherbakov & the Moscow Symphony Orchestra lead the field (on Naxos). At least, I'd be surprised if Demidenko outdoes Scherbakov in these concertos (plus, Scherbakov gives us the added bonus of Medtner's Piano Quintet):









Medtner Piano Concerto No.1


Medtner




www.youtube.com












Medtner Piano Concerto No.2


Medtner




www.youtube.com




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xD3nTLcf8aw








Medtner - Piano Quintet in C Major, Op. Posth (Scherbakov) [Christmas Special No. 2]


I. Molto placido - 00:00 II. Andantino con moto - 07:49III. Finale. Allegro vivace - 13:17The Piano Quintet has a very special place among Medtner’s works. T...




www.youtube.com





Among those Russian pianists today that are worth hearing in Medtner, in my estimation, I'd recommend Boris Berezovsky, Nikolai Lugansky, Viktoria Postnikova, Ekaterina Derzhavina, Dmitri Alexeev, Yevgeny Sudbin, Vadym Kholodenko (who is Ukrainian), and the previously mentioned Scherbakov (who is a Russian-American).

Nevetheless, as noted, it's the older Soviet era pianists that I tend to turn to most in Medtner's music--such as Gilels, Richter, Nikolayeva, Goldenweiser, Ginsburg, Grinberg, Yudina, Zhukov, etc.

Here is a superb You Tube post that covers many of these pianists, both current & old:






& here are some further performances from Kholodenko:
Vadym Kholodenko plays Medtner - 6 Fairy Tales op. 51 (Paris, 2017)
Vadym Kholodenko - Medtner Sonate op. 25 no 2 "Night Wind"
Nikolai Medtner - Piano Sonata Op.25 No.2 "Night Wind" (Milne, Kholodenko, Vos, Hamelin)

Here too are some invaluable clips of Soviet & Stalinist era performances that were not included in the above YT clip,

--Maria Grinberg, who, alongside Gilels, is another one of my favorite pianists for Medtner:
Maria Grinberg plays Medtner Forgotten Melodies, op. 38, 39, 40

--Tatiana Nikolayeva:
Tatiana Nikolaeva plays Medtner - Piano Concerto No. 3 (Svetlanov/MRSO, 1961)

--Grigory Ginsberg:
Ginzburg plays Medtner Sonata Reminiscenza

--Sviatoslav Richter:
Medtner - Piano Sonata, Op.38 No.1 "Sonata-Reminiscenza" - Sviatoslav Richter (1981)

--Alexander Goldenweiser (whose Scriabin is likewise phenomenal):
Alexander Goldenweiser plays Medtner Novella Op. 17 N. 2
Medtner's Violin Sonata No. 3, Op. 57 "Epic", with violinist David Oistrakh: David Oistrach & Alexander Goldenweiser play Medtner Sonata No. 3 "Epic"

With that said, of course, I don't mean to imply that Medtner's music is exclusively the domain of Russian or Soviet era pianists (anymore than the music of Debussy & Ravel is purely the domain of French pianists). The German pianist Severin von Eckardstein, for instance, is excellent in Medtner: Medtner - Sonata Op. 25 No. 2 "Night Wind" (Eckardstein) (he is also included in the You Tube clips above). &, I do own and very much enjoy both the Tozer & Hamelin surveys; with Tozer's being the more complete, & to my mind, slightly preferable of the two. (I've only heard parts of Milne's cycle on You Tube, but would like to own it someday, as well.)

Finally, & most interestingly, here are some YT clips of Medtner playing Medtner!:

Medtner plays Medtner: Sonata-Ballade Op. 27
Nicolas Medtner plays Medtner "Fairy Tale" in E minor Op. 34 No. 2
Medtner plays Medtner Concerto No. 1 Op. 33
Medtner plays Medtner Concerto No. 2 in C minor Op. 50
Medtner plays Medtner Novelle opus 17 no. 1
Medtner plays Medtner Fairy Tale Op. 20 No. 1

So, who do you think gets closest to the sensibility & feeling in Medtner's own performances? Not that that should be the sole objective of a pianist, certainly not, but I do find it an interesting & challenging question, nonetheless...

P.S. I've just now listened to Gunnar Sama's "Skazki', and liked it very much. He's not a pianist that I previously knew, so thanks for the introduction.


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## mossyembankment (Jul 28, 2020)

Wow, this is great! Thanks for being so thorough. You've given me a lot to digest.


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## golfer72 (Jan 27, 2018)

Ive been listening to a lot of Medtner lately. I have the Tozer cycle ( except I think maybe 1 disc?) You have to really listen and the sonatas start to take shape. Definitely worthwhile. FWIW my favorite composers for solo piano are in no particular order Brahms, Beethoven, Schubert, Rachmaninoff, Debussy. Medtner is in the top 10. Gun to my head Schubert is probably my favorite


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

If I may, I add 
Yevgeny Sudbin playing the piano concertos and . Another must have is Hamish Milne with the solo works.


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## Highwayman (Jul 16, 2018)

Tozer is my traditional favourite and Berezovsky is probably my favourite amongst the living but I`d like to mention Irina Mejoueva. Not very showy but definitely not weak and very elegant all the way through.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

mossyembankment said:


> Just recently begun getting into Medtner.
> 
> 
> Others I should be listening to?


You should try to hear Medtner’s own recordings.

For the Russian Tale in B-flat minor Op. 20, No. 1, try Svetlanov.

There are also good Russian fairy tale recordings from Moiseiwitsch, Howowitz and Cherkassky.


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## jegreenwood (Dec 25, 2015)

Not Jeremy Denk


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## advokat (Aug 16, 2020)

Derzhavina
Mejoueva
Nikolaeva


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## RICK RIEKERT (Oct 9, 2017)

Earl Wild was a superb Medtner player.


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Josquin13 said:


> With Medtner's piano music, I often feel that the non-Russian (& especially present day) pianists are to some degree on the outside looking in. While I find the older Russian pianists, especially from the Soviet era to be more idiomatic (generally speaking).
> 
> Emil Gilels, for instance,


Yes, Gilels for the sonatas I've heard him play. Especially his recording of the G minor.


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## Roger Knox (Jul 19, 2017)

Josquin13 said:


> I've not heard Nikolai Demidenko's cycle of Medtner Piano Concertos 1-3, which has received strong reviews from the British rags & awards, if that means anything to you. I sometimes find their recommendations are too safe & middle of the road myself, & they don't always listen carefully, as was brought to light by the Joyce Hatto scandal years back. However, I did like Demidenko's Schumann Novelletten, which was one of his earliest recordings, and I'd say his Sonata No. 3 for Hyperion is likewise one of the better digital era recordings of that work (although I prefer Lazar Berman myself).
> 
> So, Demidenko may be very good in Medtner; although I suspect that--among digital era cycles of Medtner's 3 Piano Concertos--Konstantin Scherbakov & the Moscow Symphony Orchestra lead the field (on Naxos). At least, I'd be surprised if Demidenko outdoes Scherbakov in these concertos (plus, Scherbakov gives us the added bonus of Medtner's Piano Quintet):
> 
> ...


As usual, yours is an excellent review of Medtner pianism on record. I've only been listening to Medtner's concertos recently and the rest will have to wait. What I have heard of Demidenko in the concertos is excellent technically but interpretatively not the best.


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## chesapeake bay (Aug 3, 2015)

Irena Mejoueva is excellent with Medtner!


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Someone trying to get me into Medtner gave me a CD of the sonatas played by one Alessandro Taverna a while back. I loved the "Reminiscenza" but haven't been drawn into the others in the same way. Any views, Medtner fans?


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## EdwardBast (Nov 25, 2013)

Have you heard the Sonata in G minor Op 22? It's the work that made me notice Medtner. This video starts with a performance by Gilels. I haven't heard the other two performances yet:


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Now that I do like. Thanks for posting.

Incidentally, following it through with the score underlines what an absolute bear it must be to play.


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## golfer72 (Jan 27, 2018)

Animal the Drummer said:


> Someone trying to get me into Medtner gave me a CD of the sonatas played by one Alessandro Taverna a while back. I loved the "Reminiscenza" but haven't been drawn into the others in the same way. Any views, Medtner fans?


I would recommend the Sonata Triad. I think the themes are more obvious than some of his other works. IMO though all the sonatas are good.


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## golfer72 (Jan 27, 2018)

Also especially with Medtner the sonatas' dont always click the first few times . You have to really listen and then they take shape. Very rewarding when you get there


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## Animal the Drummer (Nov 14, 2015)

Thank you for both posts. I've managed to find a CD of the Sonata-Triad and look forward to hearing it.


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