Nikolai Medtner's music fascinates and surprises, in the midst of what also seems to be well known. You may imagine that you have heard the melodies before, in childhood or in a dream. But, even if you haven't, it is as if you have been waiting for this music to return. In some mysterious way, it evokes the memory of the unheard. He named many of his piano pieces SKAZKA - tale. Some of them carry subtitles, but it is uncertain whether the composer had specific narratives in mind, as the name would suggest. The influential Soviet musicologists Boris Asafyev may have been right when he claimed that "these are not descriptive tales or tales that illustrate an event. These are tales of personal experiences - of conflicts in the inner life of man". In this recording, Gunnar Sama plays five of Medtner's albums, composed over the course of some 30 years.

Tracklist:

Quatre Morceaux, Op. 4: I. Etude
Quatre Morceaux, Op. 4: II. Caprice
Quatre Morceaux, Op. 4: III. Moment Musical (Gnomenklage)
Quatre Morceaux, Op. 4: IV. Prelude
Drei Novellen, Op. 17: I. Andante (Daphnis Und Chloe)
Drei Novellen, Op. 17: II. Tempo Giusto
Drei Novellen, Op. 17: III. Allegro, Molto Sostenuto
Skazki, Op. 35: I. Andante Maestoso
Skazki, Op. 35: II. Capriccioso, Con Grazia
Skazki, Op. 35: III. Cantabile, Narrante
Skazki, Op. 35: IV. Allegro Appassionato E Tempestoso
Skazki, Op. 42: I. Russian Tale (Allegro Sostenuto)
Skazki, Op. 42: II. Con Moto Disinvolto E Grazioso (Phrygian Mode)
Skazki, Op. 42: III. Moderato, Narrante
Drei Hymnen An Die Arbeit, Op. 49: I. Vor Der Arbeit (Allegretto Molto Tranquillo)
Drei Hymnen An Die Arbeit, Op. 49: II. Am Amboss (Allegro, Molto Pesante E Poco Rubato)
Drei Hymnen An Die Arbeit, Op. 49: III. Nach Der Arbeit (Allegro Vivace)
Song Transcription By Boris Shatkes, Op. 36, No. 3: When Roses Fade

UPC: 7041888524922
Label: 2l
Release Date: 9.20.19
Format: CD

Gunnar Sama - Skazki (CD)