Russian Piano Music Series, Vol. 11: Galina Ustvolskaya
9/11/2015, 34 Tracks, 1:30:37
Featuring
Natalia Andreeva
Galina Ustvolskaya
Did you know?
1/7
Composer Biography
Galina Ustvolskaya, a Russian composer, studied at the Leningrad Conservatory and her composition teachers included Dmitri Shostakovich.
Interpretation
Galina Ustvolskaya, the composer, believed that her music had not yet been performed perfectly and that musical notation could not fully express a composer's style.
Recording & Production
This recording was made in the former Melodiya Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, which is located in the Lutheran Church of St. Catherine.
Compositional Technique
Galina Ustvolskaya's musical notation is distinctive, featuring an absence of bar lines, time signatures restricted to 1/4 or 1/8, and a preference for flats over sharps.
Interpretation
Natalia Andreeva's interpretation of Ustvolskaya's piano music draws from Russian folklore, human suffering in Leningrad, and religious imagery, such as imitating church bells with clusters.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Galina Ustvolskaya, the composer, believed in producing a limited number of works, stating she did not believe in composers who produced hundreds of compositions by the production method.
Performer Biography
Natalia Andreeva, the pianist on this recording, is a Russian pianist and researcher who studied under Professor Viktor Abramov and Andrej Hoteev, an assistant to Lev Naumov.
