Ivan Sokolov: Chamber and Instrumental Music
Ivan Sokolov, born in Moscow in 1960, has made his mark both as composer and as pianist. His early compositions were avant-gardist, but he eventually rejected radicality in favour of a more traditional musical language, one with its roots in Tchaikovsky, Glazunov and Rachmaninov, flavoured, perhaps, with a hint of Shostakovich. Most of the works here were composed within the last few years and are couched in the unforced lyricism of his latter-day Romanticism.
Karen Bentley Pollick, violin, viola and piano
Ivan Sokolov, piano
First recordings
Listen To This Recording:
-
Violin Sonata No. 2 (2018)
- I Allegro moderato
- II Adagio molto
- III Andante moderato
- IV Allegro molto
- Reminiscence for piano, four hands
- I Andante molto
- II Prestissimo
- III Andante tranquillo
- IV Drammatico/Religioso
- V Elevato
- VI Andantino
- VII Misterioso
- VIII Allegro molto
- IX Andante
- X Andantino con moto
- XI Lento misterioso
- XII Andante
- XIII Moderato
- Elegie for solo viola
Reminiscence for piano, four hands (2013)
Thirteen Postludes for viola and piano (2018)
Elegie for solo viola (2001)
MusicWeb International :
‘Ivan Sokolov is clearly a composer of astonishing talent whose emotions are displayed in the most powerful and deeply felt ways and I am so glad to have been able to make his musical acquaintance through this marvellous disc. […] Add to his compositional talents a rich an expressive pianism which this record show in spades. […] The sound is exemplary as is to be expected from Toccata Classics and it is to their credit that these works are their first recordings. Thank goodness there are recording companies like them that are not solely motivated by profit for music and composers like Sokolov would certainly be the losers.’
—Steve Arloff, MusicWeb International
Fanfare :
‘Toccata Classics has scored another coup in unearthing music by a composer who should be widely known. Any violinist or violist hearing these works will almost certainly immediately desire to perform them as well, and I suppose that is part of the reason Martin Anderson does what he does in bringing such music to the attention of the music world. I do hope he’ll eventually issue some of Sokolov’s avant-garde works, as I have no doubt they’re also very much worth hearing. Kudos all around from David DeBoor Canfield.’
—David DeBoor Canfield, Fanfare
Art Music Lounge :
‘One thing I found interesting in Pollick’s violin playing is that she sounds as if she is playing the viola: it has a full, rich tone, almost in the German tradition rather than the Russian, Italian or French schools. […]
A nice album, then, with some very interesting moments among some fairly mundane ones.’
—Lynn René Bayley, Art Music Lounge