The recording was made at Tippet Rise Arts Center in Montana, using CD-18, a mid-century New York Steinway that was a favorite of Vladimir Horowitz and later belonged to Eugene Istomin.
Composition History
This recording includes the premiere recordings of two newly discovered and previously unpublished variations for Medtner's Second Improvisation, Op. 47.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Ravel claimed his Miroirs was inspired by a line from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: 'The eye sees not itself, But by reflection, by some other things.'
Performer Biography
Michael Brown, the pianist on this album, is hailed by The New York Times as 'one of the leading figures in the current renaissance of performer-composers'.
Compositional Technique
Medtner's Second Improvisation, Op. 47, is a monumental set of harmonically complex variations depicting a fairy tale world of mythical creatures.
Compositional Technique
Ravel's Miroirs, dedicated to a circle of Parisian artists known as 'Les Apaches', marked a significant change in his harmonic style.
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Poems & Pictures
Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit, M. 55 & Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, Op. 22
Through the Mirror
Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition - Ravel: Gaspard de la nuit
