Kalafati: Piano Music

Featuring

Jeremy Thompson
Vasily Kalafati

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Composer Biography

Kalafati died during the siege of Leningrad in 1942, with his last words being 'What a pity'.

Critical Reception

Reviews of Kalafati's work as a composer and conductor between 1896 and 1913 were consistently positive and full of praise.

Composer Biography

Vasily Kalafati was one of Igor Stravinsky's earliest teachers, with Stravinsky recalling that Kalafati taught him to "appeal to my ear as the first and last test."

Performer Biography

Jeremy Thompson, the pianist on this recording, was honored with two of Canada's most prestigious doctoral fellowships and earned a Doctorate of Music in Piano Performance.

Composition History

Kalafati's works were published by Mitrofan Belaieff, a maecenas whose publishing house was a goal for aspiring composers in late 19th-century St Petersburg.

Compositional Technique

Kalafati, like other Russian composers, used a specific harmonic device involving a raised fifth degree and a superimposed diminished triad to depict the 'Orient,' often referring to the south of the Russian Empire.

Composer Biography

Vasily Kalafati, the composer, had an intriguing, partly Russified Greek name and considered himself Greek, despite spending most of his life in Russia.