Jānis Mediņš: 24 Dainas (Preludes)

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Catalogue No: TOCC0097
EAN/UPC: 5060113440976
Release Date: 2012-10-01
Composer: Jānis Mediņš
Artists: Jonathan Powell

Jānis Mediņš (1890-1966) was one of the pioneers of Latvian music: his works include the first Latvian opera, and he was also an important conductor and teacher. His 24 Dainas for piano — he took the title from Latvian folk-poetry — show the influence of Rachmaninov, Grieg and Scriabin and have a modal colour inherited from Latvian folk-music. Although their composition was spread over four decades — interrupted by the Second World War and Mediņš's exile in Sweden — the Dainas are unified by their passionate lyricism and epic sweep.

Jonathan Powell, piano

Listen To This Recording:

    24 Dainas (1921–1962)

  1. Daina No. 1
  2. Daina No. 2
  3. Daina No. 3
  4. Daina No. 4
  5. Daina No. 5
  6. Daina No. 6
  7. Daina No. 7
  8. Daina No. 8
  9. Daina No. 9
  10. Daina No. 10
  11. Daina No. 11
  12. Daina No. 12
  13. Daina No. 13
  14. Daina No. 14
  15. Daina No. 15
  16. Daina No. 16
  17. Daina No. 17
  18. Daina No. 18
  19. Daina No. 19
  20. Daina No. 20
  21. Daina No. 21
  22. Daina No. 22
  23. Daina No. 23
  24. Daina No. 24

3 reviews for Jānis Mediņš: 24 Dainas (Preludes)

  1. :

    ‘For the present, admirers of Rachmaninov, Medtner and Bortkiewicz can revel in this estimable, dramatic, grandly poetic, touching and never garrulous music.’

    —Rob Barnett, MusicWeb International

  2. :

    ‘Powell’s technique fears nothing. Indeed, he seems to relish challenges. […] The 18th [of the Dainas] piece is virtuoso in nature; it is difficult to imagine a more fiery account than Powell’s. […] But such a chunk of Mediņš’s piano music as this Toccata disc offers is to be welcomed into the catalogs with open arms.’

    —Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine March/April 2013

  3. :

    ‘Many of these pieces are quite impressive and memorable; despite the various influences and resemblances to other composers that they might have, they represent a very individual style of music-making. Certainly, Jānis Mediņš is a composer worth knowing, and I’m glad that pianist Jonathan Powell and Toccata Classics have given us the opportunity to make his acquaintance. […]! [Jonathan Powell] Besides being a scholar of twentieth-century Russian piano music, however, Powell is a powerhouse of a pianist, with a large technique and a burning conviction for the music he’s performing. The sound engineers have afforded him a comparably powerful recording. Recommended!’

    —Lee Passarella, Audiophile Audition Magazine

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