First recordings of Romantic-era piano miniatures by an overlooked figure in the 'New Russian School' of composers known as 'The Mighty Handful'. 'Irretrievably forgotten' was the verdict of the musicologist Richard Taruskin on the music of Cesar Cui. He would be deprecated in our time as a dilettante composer, being a man of parts who made his career in the Russian military, firstly as an officer and then as an expert on fortifications. In that capacity Cui became a professor in Moscow while also writing prolifically about music: he was known as a stern critic, and he played an instrumental role in promoting a new, distinctively Russian school of music which built on the nationalist operas of Glinka and Mussorgsky. In that context, Cui's own music sounds at odds with his philosophy, cultivating as it does a central-European poetic style indebted to the examples of Chopin and Schumann. Marco Rapetti is the first-ever pianist to record his complete piano output, and this first volume covers the years 1877 to 1888, from the Trois morceaux Op.8 to the Trois mouvements de valse Op.41. Delightful sets of miniatures include mazurkas and serenades no less charming for their brevity. Most substantial of the collections featured here are the Suite Op.21, dedicated to Franz Liszt, and a suite of nine 'pieces caracteristiques' Op.40, dedicated to the count and countess de Mercy-Argenteau; the countess was a tireless promoter of Cui's music in western Europe. Marco Rapetti has made a speciality of recording neglected Russian piano music, including sets on Brilliant Classics dedicated to the work of Alexander Borodin and Anatoly Lyadov. In welcoming his set of Debussy's two-piano works, where he was partnered by Massimillano Damerini, the Fanfare magazine reviewer noted that 'Damerini and Rapetti perform with perfect unanimity and a verve and elan that bring out all the vividness of the orchestral works.'

Tracklist:

Trois Morceaux, Op. 8-I. Nocturne
Trois Morceaux, Op. 8-II. Scherzino
Trois Morceaux, Op. 8-III. Polka
Scherzino (For the Magazine Semya I Shkola, 1879)
Douze Miniatures, Op. 20-I. Expansion NaÃ¯ve
Douze Miniatures, Op. 20-II. Aveu Timide
Douze Miniatures, Op. 20-III. Petite Valse
Douze Miniatures, Op. 20-IV. A la Schumann
Douze Miniatures, Op. 20-V. Cantabile
Douze Miniatures, Op. 20-VI. Souvenir Douloureux
Douze Miniatures, Op. 20-VII. MosaÃ¯que
Douze Miniatures, Op. 20-VIII. Berceuse
Douze Miniatures, Op. 20-IX. Canzonetta
Douze Miniatures, Op. 20-X. Petite Marche
Douze Miniatures, Op. 20-XI. Mazurka
Douze Miniatures, Op. 20-XII. Scherzo Rustique
Suite, Op. 21 ("A FranÃ§ois Liszt", 1883)-I. Impromptu
Suite, Op. 21 ("A FranÃ§ois Liszt", 1883)-III. Intermezzo
Suite, Op. 21 ("A FranÃ§ois Liszt", 1883)-IV. Alla Polacca
Six Miniatures, Op. 39-I. Marionettes Espagnoles
Six Miniatures, Op. 39-II. Feuille D'album
Six Miniatures, Op. 39-III. Ã‰tude Arabesque
Six Miniatures, Op. 39-IV. Au Berceau
Six Miniatures, Op. 39-V. Marche-Ã‰tude
Six Miniatures, Op. 39-VI. Romanzetta
A Argenteau, Recueil de Neuf PiÃ¨ces CaractÃ©ristiques, Op. 40 ("Au Comte Et A la Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau", 1887)-I. Le CÃ¨d
A Argenteau, Recueil de Neuf PiÃ¨ces CaractÃ©ristiques, Op. 40 ("Au Comte Et A la Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau", 1887)-II. Far Ni
A Argenteau, Recueil de Neuf PiÃ¨ces CaractÃ©ristiques, Op. 40 ("Au Comte Et A la Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau", 1887)-III. Capri
A Argenteau, Recueil de Neuf PiÃ¨ces CaractÃ©ristiques, Op. 40 ("Au Comte Et A la Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau", 1887)-IV. La Pet
A Argenteau, Recueil de Neuf PiÃ¨ces CaractÃ©ristiques, Op. 40 ("Au Comte Et A la Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau", 1887)-V. SÃ©rÃ©n
A Argenteau, Recueil de Neuf PiÃ¨ces CaractÃ©ristiques, Op. 40 ("Au Comte Et A la Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau", 1887)-VI. Causer
A Argenteau, Recueil de Neuf PiÃ¨ces CaractÃ©ristiques, Op. 40 ("Au Comte Et A la Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau", 1887)-VII. Mazur
A Argenteau, Recueil de Neuf PiÃ¨ces CaractÃ©ristiques, Op. 40 ("Au Comte Et A la Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau", 1887)-VIII. A la
A Argenteau, Recueil de Neuf PiÃ¨ces CaractÃ©ristiques, Op. 40 ("Au Comte Et A la Comtesse de Mercy-Argenteau", 1887)-IX. Le Roc
Trois Mouvements de Valse, Op. 41-I. Valse-Scherzo
Trois Mouvements de Valse, Op. 41-II. Valse-Intermezzo
Trois Mouvements de Valse, Op. 41-III. Valse A la Viennoise

UPC: 5063758102117
Label: Piano Classics
Release Date: 3.13.26
Format: CD

Marco Rapetti - Cui: Complete Pno Music Vol. 1 (CD)