Nicolas Medtner: The Complete Solo Piano Recordings, Vol. 2 - The 1936 and 1946 HMV Recordings
1/1/2000, 17 Tracks, 1:10:37
Featuring
Nikolai Medtner
Cecilia Hansen
Did you know?
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Recording & Production
Many of Medtner's recordings sponsored by the Maharaja of Mysore were never published or quickly became unavailable due to the transition from 78 rpm to LP records.
Composition History
The Maharaja of Mysore, an admirer of Medtner's music, established a Musical Foundation in 1946 to enable the aging composer to record his works.
Recording & Production
Medtner's initial Columbia recordings from 1930-31 were never published, likely due to the Great Depression and the subsequent merger forming EMI.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Medtner chose to dedicate his life to composition, viewing musical performance as a quasi-religious communion where the executant was merely a medium.
Historical Context
Medtner left his homeland in 1921, unable to reconcile himself with the Bolshevik regime.
Composer Biography
Nicolas Medtner, a contemporary of Scriabin and Rachmaninoff, was considered one of the three most important Russian writers of piano music of his time.
Composer Biography
Medtner graduated from the Moscow Conservatoire in 1900 with a Gold Medal, with his teacher Vasily Safonov stating he deserved a 'diamond medal'.
