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Nicolai MEDTNER (1880-1951)
Complete Solo Recordings of Nicolai Medtner - Volume 3
Canzona matinata Op.39/4 (c.1918-20) [4:25]
Sonata tragica in E Op.39/5 (c.1918-20) [9:58]
Arabesque in A Op.7/2 (c.1904) [3:17]
Sonata-Ballada in F sharp Op.27 (c.1912-14) [22:58]
Hymn in Praise of Toil (Before Work) Op.49/1 (c.1926-27)
[4:16]
Novelle in C Op.17/2 (1908) [4:25]
Märchen [Skazka] in D Op.51/1 (c.1928) [5:26]
Märchen [Skazka] in F Op.26/3 (c.1912) [2:16]
Primavera Op.39/3 (c.1918-20) [4:26]
Nicolai Medtner
(piano)
rec. Studio 3 Abbey Road, London, 1947 APR 5548 [62:29]
This
is the third volume of APR’s edition of the Medtner solo
piano works played by the composer and the reviews of previous
volumes can be seen here [volume 1 and
volume 2].
It’s been available for some little time. This has been a
series remarkable for the excellence of its presentation,
transfers and documentation. One of the most superior of
its qualities has been its propensity to dig up previously
unpublished recordings and it does so again.
Hymn
in Praise of Toil, the Novelle in C Op.17/2 and Primavera
Op.39/3 are all previously unpublished sides and therefore
their appearance in the catalogues enriches the Medtner discography
even further. They’re all in good estate as well and Bryan
Crimp clearly worked hard – and successfully – with the surviving
Primavera to present it as persuasively as this despite the
fact that it apparently suffered some degradation.
The
clarity and subtlety of Medtner’s playing is as captivating
here as in the previous volumes. The personalised rubati
he employs in the Canzona matinata vie with the galvanizing
accelerandi for maximal interest. The passionate eloquence
of the opening of the Sonata tragica is one thing
but the torrid power is controlled with the most remarkable
of rhythmic mechanisms And all the while Medtner piles on
the colouristic dimensions to his music with prismic brilliance.
Note too the crisp clear chording in the Sonata-Ballada,
the most important work in the volume. The trills are electrically
fast and the playing is truly an example of heroism in action.
There’s
a little pitch instability in that unpublished Hymn in
Praise of Toil but it won’t spoil your pleasure. There’s
no other word but gorgeous to describe Medtner’s playing
of the Skazka in F. As one has observed before about
his playing the lyric parameters are invariably maintained,
nuance and scale always observed, and he possesses a rhythmic
mastery and a colouristic palette, that gives tremendous
life to the miniatures. Obviously as well he gives a composer’s
intent as to how his pieces should “go.”
All
three volumes are essential fare for the Medtner collector,
which I think goes without saying. But the discs have a
constituency far beyond that – they are profoundly important
documents of a great executant-composer. Barrie Martyn’s
annotations and the full recording details cap a vital series
of discs.
Jonathan Woolf
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