Alexander Goldenweiser: Piano Music, Volume One
Alexander Goldenweiser (1875–1961) is remembered as a major pianist, one of the founders of the Russian school of playing, and a friend of Rachmaninov, Scriabin and Tolstoy. He was also a prolific composer but rarely played his own works in public. His Contrapuntal Sketches, written in the early 1930s, are probably the first Russian cycle of polyphonic pieces encompassing all the major and minor keys; they fuse Goldenweiser’s compositional and pianistic virtuosity with an empathy for Russian folksong. The Sonata-Fantasia presents other, contrasting facets of his complex personality: although demonstrating his link to the Russian Romantics, it is resolutely modern and original. Jonathan Powell studied with one of Goldenweiser’s students, Sulamita Aronovsky.
Jonathan Powell, piano
Listen To This Recording:
- Skazka (Folk Tale), Op. 39 (1961)
- Sonata-fantaziya, Op. 37 (1961)
- No. 1, Prelude: Moderato, C major
- No. 2, Fugue: Andante, C minor
- No. 3, Canon: Tranquillo, D flat major
- No. 4, Prelude: Adagio, C sharp minor
- No. 5, Fugue: Allegro moderato, D major
- No. 6, Canon: Allegro non troppo, D minor
- No. 7, Prelude: Andante con moto, E flat major
- No. 8, Fugue: Andante sostenuto, E flat minor
- No. 9, Canon: Allegro non troppo, E major
- No. 10, Prelude: Con moto, E minor
- No. 11, Fugue: Allegro moderato, F major
- No. 12, Canon: Andante espressivo, F minor
- No. 13, Prelude: Andante non troppo, F sharp minor
- No. 14, Fugue: Andante, F sharp minor
- No. 15, Canon: Con moto, scherzando, G major
- No. 16, Prelude: Moderato, G minor
- No. 17, Fugue: Molto tranquillo, A flat major
- No. 18, Canon: Allegretto, G sharp minor
- No. 19, Prelude: Tempo risoluto, A major
- No. 20, Fugue: Andante con poco mosso, A minor
- No. 21, Canon: Andante, B flat major
- No. 22, Prelude: Molto tranquillo, B flat minor
- No. 23, Fugue: Allegro non troppo, B major
- No. 24, Canon: Andante molto tranquillo, B minor
Kontrapunkticheskiye ėskizï (Contrapuntal Sketches), Op. 12 (1961)
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1 review for Alexander Goldenweiser: Piano Music, Volume One
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José Tellechea :
Great music by this famous pianist, not so famous composer. The Contrapuntal sketches are a fantastic set, why this work is not more often performed is beyond me. Powell’s playing is not less impressive. Goldenweiser’s piano music is truly is a hidden gem, and this cd is proof of it.