Alexander Tcherepnin: Piano Music 1913-61

This unusual album begins with archival recordings, in excellent sound, of the Russian-born composer-pianist Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977) playing some of his most memorable piano music. The early Sonata No. 1 (1918-19) is a brilliant, virtuosic study in dramatic Slavic romanticism; the atmospheric late Sonata No. 2 (1961), never commercially recorded by the composer, stands as a paragon of elegant modernism in continuous thematic evolution. The second part of the CD, performed by the Russian pianist Mikhail Shilyaev, presents a selection of attractive, rarely heard works from various periods in Tcherepnin's career, further illustrating his Prokofiev-like fondness for spiky humour, pungent harmony and crisp melody.

Alexander Tcherepnin, piano
Mikhail Shilyaev, piano

Listen To This Recording:

    Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22 (1918–19)

  1. I. Allegro commodo
  2. II. Andante
  3. III. Allegro
  4. IV. Grave
  5. Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 94 (1961)

  6. I. Lento; Animato; Lento; Animato; Lento
  7. II. Andantino
  8. III. Animato
  9. Quatre Préludes Nostalgiques, Op. 23 (1922)

  10. I. Lento
  11. II. Allegretto
  12. III. Tempestuoso
  13. IV. Con dolore, molto sostenuto
  14. Prelude, Op. 85, No. 9 (1953)
  15. Moment Musical (1913)
  16. Petite Suite, Op. 6 (1918–19)

  17. No. 1 March
  18. No. 2 Song without Words
  19. No. 3 Berceuse
  20. No. 4 Scherzo
  21. No. 5 Badinage
  22. No. 6 Humoresque
  23. Rondo à la Russe (c. 1946)
  24. Entretiens, Op. 46 (1920–30)

  25. No. 1 Lento
  26. No. 2 Animato
  27. No. 3 Moderato
  28. No. 4 Allegretto
  29. No. 5 Recitando
  30. No. 6 Animato
  31. No. 7 Moderato
  32. No. 8 Animato
  33. No. 9 Grave
  34. No. 10 Allegretto
  35. Polka (1944)
  36. Scherzo, Op. 3 (1917)
  37. Expressions, Op. 81 (1951)

  38. No. 1 Entrance
  39. No. 2 The Hour of Death
  40. No. 3 Caprice
  41. No. 4 The Silly Story of the White Oxen
  42. No. 5 Thief in the Night
  43. No. 6 At the Fair
  44. No. 7 Barcarolle
  45. No. 8 Blind Man’s Bluff
  46. No. 9 At Dawn
  47. No. 10 Exit
  48. La Quatrième (1948–49)
Clear

Catalogue No: TOCC0079
EAN/UPC: 5060113440792
Release Date: 01.10.2012
Composer: Alexander Tcherepnin
Artists: Alexander Tcherepnin, Mikhail Shilyaev

2 reviews for Alexander Tcherepnin: Piano Music 1913-61

  1. :

    “… Shilyaev renders both these miniatures and the larger sets of pieces with a fluency and panache that makes for diverting and also pleasurable listening, thus ensuring that these predominantly first recordings will not easily be surpassed, and is abetted by detailed and realistic piano sound. … the disc can be warmly recommended as a showcase for a composer who seemed to – or, more to the point, should have had it all.” —Richard Whitehouse, International Record Review

  2. :

    “As the only composer to have done significant work in all 5 UN Security Council nations – Russia, Britain, France, China and the USA – it is unsurprising that Willi Reich, in his biography called Alexander Tcherepnin a ‘musical citizen of the world’.… If you have discovered the wonderful world of Tcherepnin’s piano —music then this disc is a must for you and, if not, it is a perfect place to start to get to know this fascinating composer.” —Steve Arloff, MusicWeb International

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