Alexander Tcherepnin, piano (1, 12)

Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22 (1918–19)

1. I. Allegro commodo
2. II. Andante
3. III. Allegro
4. IV. Grave

Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 94 (1961)

5. I .Lento; Animato; Lento; Animato; Lento
6. II. Andantino
7. III. Animato

Quatre Préludes Nostalgiques, Op. 23 (1922)

8. I. Lento
9. II. Allegretto
10. III. Tempestuoso
11. IV. Con dolore, molto sostenuto

12. Prelude, Op. 85, No. 9 (1953)
    

    Mikhail Shilyaev, piano (13, 43)

13. Moment Musical (1913)
    

    Petite Suite, Op. 6 (1918–19)

14. No. 1 March
15. No. 2 Song without Words
16. No. 3 Berceuse
17. No. 4 Scherzo
18. No. 5 Badinage
19. No. 6 Humoresque
20. Rondo à la Russe (c. 1946)

    Entretiens, Op. 46 (1920–30)

21. No 1 Lento
22. No.2 Animato
23. No.3 Moderato
24. No.4 Allegretto
25. No.5 Recitando
26. No.6 Animato
27. No.7 Moderato
28. No.8 Animato
29. No.9 Grave
30. No.10 Allegretto
31. Polka (1944)

32. Scherzo, Op. 3 (1917)

    Expressions, Op. 81 (1951)

33. No. 1 Entrance
34. No. 2 The Hour of Death
35. No. 3 Caprice
36. No. 4 The Silly Story of the White Oxen
37. No. 5 Thief in the Night
38. No. 6 At the Fair
39. No. 7 Barcarolle
40. No. 8 Blind Man’s Bluff
41. No. 9 At Dawn
42. No. 10 Exit
43. La Quatrième (1948–49)

    This unusual album begins with archival recordings, in excellent sound, of the Russian-born composer-pianist Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977) playing some of his most memorable piano music.
    The early Sonata No. 1 (1918-19) is a brilliant, virtuosic study in dramatic Slavic romanticism; the atmospheric late Sonata No. 2 (1961), never commercially recorded by the composer, stands as a paragon of elegant modernism in continuous thematic evolution.
    The second part of the CD, performed by the Russian pianist Mikhail Shilyaev, presents a selection of attractive, rarely heard works from various periods in Tcherepnin's career, further illustrating his Prokofiev-like fondness for spiky humour, pungent harmony and crisp melody.
    Shilyaev renders both these miniatures and the larger sets of pieces with a fluency and panache that makes for diverting and also pleasurable listening, thus ensuring that these predominantly first recordings will not easily be surpassed, and is abetted by detailed and realistic piano sound. …
    the disc can be warmly recommended as a showcase for a composer who seemed to – or, more to the point, should have had it all.”

    —Richard Whitehouse,International Record Review

    Steve Arloff

    “As the only composer to have done significant work in all 5 UN Security Council nations – Russia, Britain, France, China and the USA – it is unsurprising that Willi Reich, in his biography called Alexander Tcherepnin a ‘musical citizen of the world’.…
    If you have discovered the wonderful world of Tcherepnin’s piano —music then this disc is a must for you and, if not, it is a perfect place to start to get to know this fascinating composer.” —Steve Arloff, MusicWeb International