Kabalevsky's First Piano Sonata, his first large-scale work, was written in 1927 after he joined the composition class of Nikolai Myaskovsky, a professor at the Moscow Conservatory.
Critical Reception
Kabalevsky's First Piano Sonata has not entered the standard pianistic repertoire, partly due to its stylistic inconsistency and the imbalance between its technical difficulty and audience appeal.
Composer Biography
Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987) was considered one of the 'Big Four' of Soviet music, alongside Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Aram Khachaturian.
Composition History
Kabalevsky's Rondo in A minor, Op. 59, was a compulsory piece for the first International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow in 1958, designed to showcase the 'Russian School' of pianism.
Critical Reception
The remark by Heinrich Neuhaus that Kabalevsky was 'the poor man's Prokofiev' may have been prompted by the Second Piano Sonata and caused lasting damage to Kabalevsky's reputation.
Performer Biography
Pianist Michael Korstick's recording of Beethoven's 'Hammerklavier Sonata' in 2004 earned him a prominent place with the public and was hailed as a sensation by the music press.
Composition History
Kabalevsky's Second Piano Sonata was finished only months after Emil Gilels premiered Prokofiev's Eighth Sonata, and Kabalevsky dedicated his work to Gilels.
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