Despite a wealth of excellent pianists by the mid-19th century, "major" Russian piano music, like that of Rachmaninov and Scriabin, only appeared towards the end of the century.
Composer Biography
Sergei Prokofiev was a precocious composer, becoming a conservatory pupil at 13 and a noted piano virtuoso as a teenager, with compositions often described as cheeky, sarcastic, or brutal.
Composer Biography
Sergei Rachmaninov, often seen as an arch-romantic, also composed works like the Etudes-tableaux Opus 39, which bridge late romanticism and 20th-century modernism.
Historical Context
Russia experienced an explosive development of its musical culture starting in the first half of the 19th century, yet certain areas like organ music developed much more slowly.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Alexander Scriabin's extensive piano works show a remarkable stylistic development, moving from a Chopin-like beginning to an avant-garde, expressionistic style in his later years.
Composition History
Igor Stravinsky originally conceived his famous ballet Petrouchka as a concert piece for piano and orchestra, later rewriting three sections for solo piano.
Composer Biography
Dmitri Shostakovich composed his Three Fantastic Dances for piano at just 15 years old, having already begun to make a name as a pianist.
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