Alexandrov's work Obsession passée, Op 6, dedicated to the memory of his contemporary Alexei Stanchinsky, references Stanchinsky's tonal language and even his psychological fragility.
Composition History
Alexandrov's debut as a composer was the Cinq Préludes Op 1, written between 1907 and 1910, which he later revised in the 1960s by adding a sixth prelude and placing it at the beginning.
Performer Biography
Hamish Milne, the pianist on this recording, has performed as a soloist with major British orchestras, given over two hundred BBC broadcasts, and is a professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Compositional Technique
Alexandrov's early works, like the Cinq Préludes Op 1, show the influence of early and middle period Scriabin, using his gestures as a starting point for new harmonic and psychological explorations.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Alexandrov based his creative work on two contrasting principles: the idyll, representing a serene view of life, and scepticism, irony, or sarcasm, which questions this blissful outlook but never triumphs.
Composer Biography
Anatoly Alexandrov (1888-1982) studied with Sergei Taneyev, the doyen of Moscow's school of composition, and later taught composition at the Moscow Conservatoire from 1923 until his retirement.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Alexandrov's aesthetic ideals were shaped by two opposing influences: the conservative Sergei Taneyev and his progressive pupil Nicolay Zhilyayev, who introduced Alexandrov to Scriabin and Debussy.
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