Have been a fan of Hungarian pianist Deszo Ranki for a long time. Just came across this supremely musical performance of Mozart with the ECO... enjoy!
Saturday 9 June 2012
Tuesday 5 June 2012
Recent repertoire discoveries
One of the great things about playing and teaching piano is the enormous repertoire that is out there just waiting to be discovered. Several centuries of music, with every piece and every composer telling a story.
Take the Russian composer Alabiev, for example. Born into a wealthy family in Siberia in 1787, he fought as an officer in the Napoleonic wars. Aged 38 he was arrested on the charge of murdering a man he had gambled with. Though the evidence was not conclusive he was imprisoned for 6 years, during which time he composed this song "Solovey' (Nightingale).
The song eventually became so famous that it entered mainstream Russian consciousness as a folk song. (somewhat the reverse of the Bartok effect where folk music entered the classical repertoire).
Here's a wonderful performance of Liszt's transcription of Alabiev's "The Nightingale" performed by Ignaz Friedman
And here's a Glinka variation on Alabiev's Nightingale performed by a 12-year old wunderkind from Russia, Syuzanna Rudanovskaya who demonstrates for us how to play the piano.
Alabiev's "Nightingale" makes a fabulous addition to the bird repertoire within piano music, along with Janacek: The Barn Owl has not Flown Away; Balakirev's The Lark; Schumann The Prophet Bird, etc etc.
Take the Russian composer Alabiev, for example. Born into a wealthy family in Siberia in 1787, he fought as an officer in the Napoleonic wars. Aged 38 he was arrested on the charge of murdering a man he had gambled with. Though the evidence was not conclusive he was imprisoned for 6 years, during which time he composed this song "Solovey' (Nightingale).
The song eventually became so famous that it entered mainstream Russian consciousness as a folk song. (somewhat the reverse of the Bartok effect where folk music entered the classical repertoire).
Here's a wonderful performance of Liszt's transcription of Alabiev's "The Nightingale" performed by Ignaz Friedman
And here's a Glinka variation on Alabiev's Nightingale performed by a 12-year old wunderkind from Russia, Syuzanna Rudanovskaya who demonstrates for us how to play the piano.
Alabiev's "Nightingale" makes a fabulous addition to the bird repertoire within piano music, along with Janacek: The Barn Owl has not Flown Away; Balakirev's The Lark; Schumann The Prophet Bird, etc etc.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Alla Garside for winning the 1st prize, Emily Crow Championship Cup at St Swithuns School, Winchester, in May 2012! Alla performed Kabalevsky (Cavalryman) and Bonsor (Dreamy) from her Grade 6 repertoire.
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