The Complete Piano Sonatas, Series II - Paperback

by Nikolai Medtner (Author)

Faced with decades of shifting styles and music trends that characterized the early decades of the twentieth centuries, Nikolai Medtner remained faithful to the classical masters' roots. This two-volume series of Medtner's complete sonatas includes a Preface by Eugene Istomin, Performance Notes by Geoffrey Tozer, and an Editorial Note by Marc-Andre Hamelin. A must for pianists seeking alternatives to the core group of "standard" sonatas of this century, these works range from intermediate to very difficult.
Series I features Sonata in F Minor, Op. 5; Sonatas Nos. 2, 3, and 4 of Sonatentriade, Op. 11; and three others. Series II comprises the Russian composer's final seven sonatas: Sonate-Ballade, Op. 27; Sonata in A Minor, Op. 30; Sonata-Reminiscenza, Op. 38, No. 1; Sonata tragica, Op. 39, No. 5; Sonata romantica, Op. 53, No 1; Sonata minacciosa, Op. 53, No. 2; and Sonate-Idylle, Op. 56. A bonus selection of three melodies includes "Canzona matinata," "Canzona seranata," and "Alla Reminiscenza."

Author Biography

Russian composer and pianist Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951) was a younger contemporary of Rachmaninoff and Scriabin who wrote a substantial number of piano compositions. He composed these 14 piano sonatas in the course of more than three decades.