NIKOLAI MEDTNER (1880-1951): Songs: I Have Outlived My Aspirations, Op. 3/2, The Horse, op. 29/4, Willow, Why Forever Bending?, Op. 24/2, Ravens, Op. 52/2, Spring Solace, Op. 28/5, Song of the Elves, Op. 6/3, Dearest, Give Me Your Hand, Op. 12/1, Dearest Child, Op. 6/5, Day and Night, Op. 24/1, At the Gate of the Holy Abode, Op. 3/1, Twilight, Op. 24/4, Whispering Nature Faintly Stirring, Op. 24/7, The Faded Flower, Op. 36/2, Did We Not Dance Under Magic Sounds?, Op. 37/4, Sleeplessness, Op. 37/1, Incantation, Op. 29/7, Winter Evening, Op. 13/1, Piano Pieces: Skazki, Opp. 20/2, 26/2, 34/2, 35/4, 42/1, 48/2, 2 Fairy-Tales, Op. 14.
Catalogue Number: 01K062
Label: Mirare
Reference: MIR 059
Format: CD
Price: $20.98
Description: Since there is almost no Medtner vocal music on disc (one Chandos disc and a few songs on a couple of other multiple-composer releases), this would be a worthwhile release even without the great programming idea: 17 dark, brooding, poetic songs (with three in German, showing that Medtner could access his German blood and enter the world of the Romantic lied of Goethe or Heine just as effectively) interspersed with 8 poetic piano pieces, now impetuously swelling, now as dark and brooding as the songs but each well-chosen for their situation among the latter. A large chunk of Russian soul, swimming in beautiful melancholy... Russian (Cyrillic)/German-English texts. Yana Ivanilova (soprano), Vassily Savenko (bass), Boris Berezovsky (piano).