Ravel's Gaspard de la nuit, a set of three pieces on this album, continues the harmonic language of his earlier work Miroirs, which had surprised many listeners.
Composer Biography
Dilorom Saidaminova, a composer featured on this album, began her interest in music when her mother played works by Chopin, Tchaikovsky, and Shostakovich at home.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Dilorom Saidaminova, a composer on this album, stated that her own works are not 'Oriental' but 'international,' despite her piece 'The Walls of Ancient Bukhara' being inspired by the historic Central Asian city.
Composition History
Prokofiev's ballet Romeo and Juliet, from which the piano pieces on this album are drawn, was originally commissioned by the Kirov but given to the Bolshoi, who delayed its premiere due to political upheavals and the dancers finding the rhythms impractical.
Performer Biography
Behzod Abduraimov won first prize at the London International Piano Competition in 2009, performing Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3.
Composition History
Prokofiev initially considered giving his Romeo and Juliet ballet a happy ending, with Friar Laurence preventing Romeo from taking poison, but was persuaded to return to Shakespeare's original tragic conclusion.
Performer Biography
Behzod Abduraimov, the pianist on this album, was born in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in 1990 and began playing piano at age five.
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