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Thursday, December 15, 2016

Dmitri Kabalevsky - Preludes (Alexandre Dossin)


Information

Composer: Dmitri Kabalevsky
  • (01-04) 4 Preludes, Op. 5
  • (05-28) 24 Preludes, Op. 38
  • (29-34) 6 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 61

Alexandre Dossin, piano
Date: 2009
Label: Naxos
http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.570976

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Review

The four Preludes, op. 5, with which Dossin opens his program were written in 1927, and are among the composer’s earliest published works. The clearest influences would seem to be Scriabin and Debussy, though elements of jazz and a pithy, almost pointillistic minimalism are also in play. In 1943, Kabalevsky set out to compose a set of 24 preludes following Chopin’s model of alternating major and relative minor keys—C-Major/A-Minor—as opposed to Bach’s model of alternating major and parallel minor keys—C-Major/C-Minor. By this time, Kabalevsky would surely have had an opportunity to familiarize himself with Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes, op. 34, written 10 years earlier. And indeed, a few of the darker preludes in Kabalevsky’s opus do call Shostakovich to mind. But in large measure, Kabalevsky’s writing strikes me as closer in style to that of Prokofiev. There’s an almost singable tunefulness to many of the preludes, peppered of course with sharp dissonances and brief bitonal excursions to jazz and juice things up. The Prelude No. 14, marked Prestissimo possible , is a dead ringer for the concluding “wind on the grave” movement of Chopin’s “Funeral March” Sonata. I found myself really enjoying these pieces. They’re quite varied in rhythm, melody, and keyboard technique, so that monotony never sets in; and they run the gamut from jaunty and jokey, to minatory, to ingenuously touching.

Fifteen years later, this time likely inspired by Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues, op. 87 (1950–51), Kabalevsky embarked on a similar project in 1958. Whether or not he actually intended to write a prelude and corresponding fugue in each of the major and minor keys, in the event, he left off after composing only six, which were published as op. 61. Of greater seriousness and gravitas than the op. 38 Preludes, Kabalevsky’s Six Preludes and Fugues are nonetheless also quite beautiful and affecting.

Having no other recordings of this music at hand for comparison purposes, I can only report my reactions to this recording and to Alexandre Dossin’s playing. Both, I’m happy to say, are positive. The Brazilian-born pianist won both first prize and the special prize at the Martha Argerich International Piano Competition in 2003, and has appeared in concert with a number of leading orchestras and conductors. Dossin succeeds in imbuing each of these pieces with its own distinct character and, in so doing, captures their unique essence. I detected no technical fumbles or stumbles; and the recording—made in December 2007 at Beall Concert Hall, University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, where Dossin is on the faculty—is excellent by an order of magnitude over a couple of recent Naxos discs I’ve heard that were recorded in Russian venues.

Strongly recommended; but you may have to do some fast talking to reassure your patriotic friends of where your loyalties lie if they happen to notice the photo of the Sign of Leninist Young Communist League of the Soviet Union on the cover.

-- Jerry Dubins, FANFARE

More reviews:
http://www.gramophone.co.uk/review/kabalevsky-complete-preludes
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2009/Sept09/Kabalevsky_preludes_8570976.htm
http://www.allmusic.com/album/kabalevsky-preludes-complete-mw0001399537
http://www.naxos.com/reviews/reviewslist.asp?catalogueid=8.570976&languageid=EN
https://www.amazon.com/Kabalevsky-Preludes-Complete-Fugues/dp/B002AT46C2

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Dmitri Kabalevsky (30 December [O.S. 17 December] 1904 – 14 February 1987) was a Russian composer. He helped to set up the Union of Soviet Composers in Moscow and remained one of its leading figures. He was a prolific composer of piano music and chamber music; many of his piano works have been performed by Vladimir Horowitz. Kabalevsky wrote for all musical genres and was consistently faithful to the ideals of socialist realism. In Russia, Kabalevsky is most noted for his vocal songs, cantatas, and operas while overseas he is known for his orchestral music.

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Alexandre Dossin (born 13 September 1970 in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil) is a Brazilian pianist. He was awarded First Prize and Special Prize at the 2003 Martha Argerich International Piano Competition. Dossin is a graduate of the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory where he studied with Sergey Dorensky. He received the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Texas at Austin, where his teachers were William Race and Gregory Allen. Currently on the faculty at the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, he maintains an active performing, teaching and recording career.

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