Balakirev, Glazunov, Kosenko: Russian Piano Sonatas Vol. 1
8/31/2018, 10 Tracks, 1:10:23
Featuring
Vincenzo Maltempo
Mily Balakirev
Alexander Glazunov
Viktor Stepanovych Kosenko
Did you know?
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Composer Biography
Viktor Kosenko, a Ukrainian composer and pianist, was born to an affluent military family in St Petersburg and studied with the pre-eminent Chopin specialist Aleksander Michałowski.
Performer Biography
Vincenzo Maltempo is considered one of the most authoritative interpreters of Charles Valentin Alkan, having recorded most of his important works and performed the entire 'Douze études dans toutes les tons mineurs' Op.39 in a single recital.
Composer Biography
Mily Balakirev, described as 'testy, 'tactless [and] despotic,' was the founder and mentor of the Russian nationalist school, the Mighty Handful, which included Borodin, Cui, Mussorgsky, and Rimsky-Korsakov.
Composer Biography
Aleksandr Glazunov, a child prodigy with legendary total recall, was discovered by Balakirev and later studied with Rimsky-Korsakov.
Composer Biography
Glazunov served as Director of the St Petersburg Conservatory for 25 years, numbering Shostakovich among his later students, before leaving Russia in 1928 due to political tensions.
Composition History
Balakirev's Second Sonata, though signed-off quickly in 1905, was long in the making, with initial sketches dating back to 1855.
Compositional Technique
Viktor Kosenko's piano sonatas are characterized by Slavic Romanticism and 'heart-on-the-sleeve emotion,' ranging from Tchaikovsky to Rachmaninov with glints of Ukrainian and Moldavian folk lore.
