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Friday, February 23, 2018

Nikolai Medtner - Skazki (Hamish Milne)


Information

Composer: Nikolai Medtner

CD1:
  • (01-02) Skazki, Op. 8
  • (03-05) Skazki, Op. 9
  • (06-07) Skazki, Op. 14
  • (08-09) Skazki, Op. 20
  • (10-13) Skazki, Op. 26
  • (14) Skazka, Op. 31 No. 3
  • (15-18) Skazki, Op. 34
  • (19-22) Skazki, Op. 35
CD2:
  • (01-03) Skazki, Op. 42
  • (04-05) Skazki, Op. 48
  • (06-11) Skazki, Op. 51
  • (12-19) Romantic Sketches for the Young, Op. 54
  • (20) Skazka "1915"

Hamish Milne, piano
Date: 2006
Label: Hyperion
http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67491/2

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Review

ARTISTIC QUALITY: 9 / SOUND QUALITY: 9

How fitting for Hyperion to feature Hamish Milne in a milestone release that gathers all of Nikolai Medtner’s Skazki (Fairy Tales) in one collection. After all, Milne has long championed Medtner’s music, and in fact recorded lots of it for the CRD label beginning in the late 1970s, including quite a few of the Skazki. The pianist remains as sensitive as ever to the composer’s polyphonic rigor and subtle harmonic palette (more akin to Fauré and early Poulenc than to his Russian contemporaries), and with a luminous tone to match. He achieves the latter with little help from the sustain pedal, letting his fingers take care of the legato. A telling example of this is the graceful A major Op. 51 No. 3, where Milne’s careful observance of long versus short phrases imparts a tart edge to the music’s surface sweetness.

Although Milne has plenty of technique, he favors poetry over panache, allowing himself more room for rubato and melodic inflection. In certain instances I prefer Milne’s more lithe and incisively executed earlier versions of faster pieces such as the Bird’s Tale (Op. 54 No. 2) or the tarantella-like Op. 26 No. 2, yet the sustaining power and architectural sweep he brings to the less descriptive, more abstract orchestral-inspired numbers (the Allegro Appassionato e Tempestoso Op. 35 No. 4) constitutes nothing less than big piano playing. Milne’s own booklet notes are scholarly, informative, and passionate. [7/23/2007]

-- Jed Distler, ClassicsToday

More reviews:
http://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/mar/30/classicalmusicandopera.shopping3
http://www.classicalsource.com/db_control/db_cd_review.php?id=4449
http://www.allmusic.com/album/medtner-the-complete-skazki-mw0001862789
http://www.amazon.com/Medtner-The-Complete-Skazki-Nikolai/dp/B000NIWICC

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Nikolai Medtner (5 January 1880 [O.S. 24 December 1879] – 13 November 1951) was a Russian composer and pianist. A younger contemporary of Rachmaninoff and \Scriabin, he wrote a substantial number of compositions, all of which include the piano. His works include fourteen piano sonatas, three violin sonatas, three piano concerti, a piano quintet, two works for two pianos, many shorter piano pieces, a few shorter works for violin and piano, and 108 songs including two substantial works for vocalise. Despite his conservative musical tastes, Medtner's compositions and his pianism were highly regarded by his contemporaries.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikolai_Medtner

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Hamish Milne (born 27 April 1939, Salisbury) is a British pianist known for his advocacy of Nikolai Medtner. He studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where he now teaches, and later in Italy under Guido Agosti. One of Britain’s leading pianists over several decades, Hamish Milne has appeared as soloist with most of the leading British orchestras and has given over two hundred broadcasts for the BBC. In the 1970s, Milne was the first pianist to offer a comprehensive survey of the music of Medtner since the composer made his own records in the 78s era. He has recorded for Chandos, CRD, Danacord, Decca and Hyperion labels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamish_Milne

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6 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Some real gems within the Skazki. Thanks

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  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

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