Dmitri KABALEVSKY (1904-1987)
Complete Preludes
24 Préludes Op.38 (1943) [44:54]
6 Preludes and fugues Op.61 (1958-59) [18:19]
3 Preludes Op.1 (1925) [7:09]
4 Preludes Op.5 (1927) [5:33]
Michael Korstick (piano)
rec. 2017/18, Deutschlandfunk Kammermusiksaal, Köln
CPO 555 272-2 [76:21]
In the emerging Kabalevsky series that CPO have embarked
upon, Michael Kostick has started working his way through the piano
music. He has received excellent reviews for his recordings of the works
for piano and orchestra (CPO 777 658-2 review)
and the Sonatas and Rondos (CPO 555 163-2 review)
and I would refer readers to those for more background. This well-filled
disc brings together the Preludes that Kabalevsky wrote over a 34-year
period, beginning while he was a composition student of Georgy Catoire
(1861-1926) and studying piano with the great Alexander Goldenweiser
(1875-1961).
The first of his student preludes, listed as Op.1, were unpublished
until 2014 and though they are a clearly influenced by Skriabin and
Prokofiev they are well worth hearing. Early Skriabin inhabits the grandeur
and lyrical yearning of the first whilst I am reminded of later Skriabin
in the consecutive sevenths of the second. The last is a stark toccata.
After the death of Catoire, Kabalevsky studied under Nikolai Myasovsky
(1881-1950) in which time he wrote his Op.5 preludes. The influences
are not so clear now and this is a concise little set of four. After
the slow waltz of the first where the short melody is repeated in descending
registers, we have a brief jazzy piece with a pentatonic feeling. The
Romantic third prelude with its lilting, questioning melody and impassioned
middle section is followed by an engaging dance that has the feeling
of Medtner's Forgotten melodies.
The Preludes and fugues from the late fifties show Kabalevsky
writing for the next generation of students. The fugues here are not
entirely separate but grow naturally from the preludes and in first
of the set the theme of the prelude returns to conclude the piece. To
appeal to younger students, they have titles like Summer morning
on the lawn, Becoming a Younger Pioneer or A feast of Labor.
With some tricky writing – the tarantelle fugue of no. 2 for instance
– these are not for beginners. They are all very tonal and were
intended as a clear and approachable introduction to polyphony. In the
introduction to these pieces, Kabalevsky gives a description of what
a fugue and polyphony is and goes on to write detailed notes as to what
each piece depicts. This is what he writes for the fourth, for example;
In the Young Pioneer Camp: “I don't think there
is much to explain here: most of you have probably been at Young Pioneer
summer camps and will easily hear in the Prelude and the fugue the sounds
of the bugle, merry Pioneer songs and games”.
The largest set is Op.38, composed in the harsh, difficult climate of
the Second World War. Kabalevsky was following a grand pianistic tradition
with his set of 24 Preludes in every key – from Chopin and Alkan
through to Skriabin and Shostakovich as well as less familiar collections
from the likes of Stephen Heller, Walter Niemann, Felix Blumenfeld or Selim
Palmgren, the concept has fired the imagination and produced some truly
wonderful music. Yakov Flier was entrusted with the premiere and first
recording (APR Recordings APR5665 Review).
That these Preludes are not better known is surprising; there is a world
of drama and passion, tenderness and violence, bitterness and joy within
these pages. Admittedly, it is not a set for the faint of heart; Kabalevsky
doesn't do anything by halves and many of these miniatures are
fiendish in their demands. Take the 14th, prestissimo
possible, with all of the challenge of Chopin's B
flat minor Prelude and more. For a pianist, it must seem longer
than its just-shy-of-two-minutes duration, yet even within the maelstrom
of notes that are laid out before us, Kabalevsky introduces a delicate
folk melody and this is the pervading theme of the set. All of the preludes
are based on Russian folk melodies from the Rimsky-Korsakov collection
- a sign of patriotism and of the inner strength of the Russian character,
as well as demonstrating to the powers that be that his art, whilst
being contemporary, acknowledged the rich vein of folk culture in his
homeland. For me, the most touching in this respect is the opening C
major prelude with its hints of Medtner. There is so much to enjoy here:
the scintillating third prelude, quicksilver semiquavers over a left-hand
melody, the phantasmagoria of the C sharp minor with its quick shifts
of dynamic and mood. Kabalevsky's sense of humour is evident
in many preludes like the merry bounce of number 9, the playful 11th,
the 13th where the final theme from Stravinsky's Firebird
creeps in unannounced or the 22nd where the changing time
signatures and squashed semiquavers belie its simple melody and playful
nature. The Coronation Scene from Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov
is echoed in the festive 21st prelude and the set closes
in dramatic style with a clangourous prelude that gives way to a dark
and dour march. Even the delicate world that this segues into cannot
initially escape its relentless beat but the mood settles and, at the
very last, reaches a gentle conclusion.
Michael Korstick is a pianist of immense talent. These works present
no difficulty to him and he is fully attuned to the wealth of detail
which lies within this music. His playing in the Op.38 set is at least
the equal of Flier in his complete set or Horowitz in the selection
of eight that he played in his Carnegie Hall recitals in 1947 (Sony
Classical 8765484172). This is a disc of accomplished, exciting and
idiomatic piano music that would grace any pianophile’s collection.
Rob Challinor
Editor's note
Though cpo describe this release as 'Complete Preludes'
one of our readers, Jean-Paul Giraudet has pointed out that the album
does not include the Four Preludes, Op 20 (1934)
cpo reply
Dear friends, at the end of this review you mention that our album does
not contain Kabalevsky's Four Preludes Op.20. This is correct and we
have been aware of the fact. However, these pieces have never been published
and the manuscript is unavailable. Michael Korstick's effort to gain
access have been unsuccessful. We felt justified, therefore, to call
this collection of Preludes "complete".
