About this Release
“It is never easy to find a composer whose production is equally good throughout its entirety. Fortunately there is no lack of good music just waiting to be rediscovered. Alexander Tcherepnin was my first choice: his Russian pianism, his brilliant mind, his profound intimacy and his life story so similar to mine have touched me profoundly. My hope for the future? Somewhere, in a basket that miraculously survived the Russian revolution of St. Petersburg, there is more of his music awaiting rediscovery” — Giorgio Koukl
TCHEREPNIN, ALEXANDER (1899–1977)
Complete Piano Music • 1
- Giorgio Koukl, piano
This first volume of Alexander Tcherepnin’s extensive list of works for piano takes us from some of his earliest works as a precocious Russian teenager, through to significant and intensely expressive compositions. From the vitally youthful picture stories of the Bagatelles, through the remarkable Sonatas to the exploratory late Ascension, each work is a gold mine of astoundingly inventive and distinctively individual craftsmanship. The program demonstrates Tcherepnin’s mastery of the miniature and the monumental, speaking to the heart from a basis in the Romantic tradition. Tcherepnin’s is a voice which stands comparison with Prokofiev and at times Rachmaninov, but the over-riding impression is of striking individuality and compelling inventiveness.
Tracklist
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10 Bagatelles, Op. 5 (1918) (00:12:00 )
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1
No. 1. Allegro marciale (00:00:57)
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2
No. 2. Con vivacita (00:01:31)
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3
No. 3. Vivo (00:00:58)
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4
No. 4. Lento con tristezza (00:01:45)
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5
No. 5. Dolce (00:01:16)
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6
No. 6. Allegro con spirito (00:01:02)
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7
No. 7. Prestissimo (00:01:11)
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8
No. 8. Allegro (00:01:03)
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9
No. 9. Allegretto (00:00:43)
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10
No. 10. Presto (00:01:09)
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Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 22 (1918) (00:14:36 )
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11
I. Allegro comodo (00:07:11)
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12
II. Andante (00:02:59)
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13
III. Allegro (00:02:09)
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14
IV. Grave (00:02:18)
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9 Inventions, Op. 13 (1921) (00:05:44 )
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15
Invention No. 1: Sans lenteur * (00:00:52)
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16
Invention No. 2: Vif et énergique * (00:00:41)
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17
Invention No. 3: Modéré * (00:00:28)
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18
Invention No. 4: Avec mouvement * (00:00:31)
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19
Invention No. 5: Lourd * (00:00:40)
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20
Invention No. 6: Vite * (00:00:29)
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21
Invention No. 7: Tranquille * (00:00:45)
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22
Invention No. 8: Lent * (00:00:45)
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23
Invention No. 9: Claire * (00:00:32)
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Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 94 (1961) (00:11:11 )
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24
I. Lento (00:04:26)
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25
II. Andantino (00:02:38)
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26
III. Animato (00:04:07)
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10 Etudes, Op. 18 (1920) (00:25:00 )
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27
No. 1. Allegretto * (00:02:10)
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28
No. 2. Rubato * (00:01:42)
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29
No. 3. Marziale * (00:01:52)
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30
No. 4. Andantino * (00:02:01)
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31
No. 5. Vivace * (00:01:57)
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32
No. 6. Moderato * (00:02:09)
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33
No. 7. Allegretto con moto * (00:01:31)
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34
No. 8. Vivace * (00:00:38)
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35
No. 9. Maestoso * (00:02:29)
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36
No. 10. Lento * (00:03:03)
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The Artist(s)
Giorgio Koukl is a Czech pianist/harpsichordist and composer. He studied at both the Conservatories of Zürich and Milan, where he took part in the masterclasses of Nikita Magaloff, Jacques Février and Stanislas Neuhaus, and with Rudolf Firkušný, friend and advocate of Czech composer Bohuslav Martinů. It was through Firkušný that Koukl first encountered Martinů’s music, prompting him to search out his compatriot’s solo piano works. Since then he has developed these into an important part of his concert repertoire and is now considered one of the world’s leading interpreters of Martinů’s piano music. As a logical continuation of this work, Koukl has recorded the complete solo piano works of Paul Le Flem, Alexander Tcherepnin, Arthur Lourié, Vítězslava Kaprálová, Witold Lutosławski, and more recently, Alexandre Tansman, Vittorio Rieti and Tibor Harsányi. The Composer(s)
Alexander began playing piano and composing at an early age. By his late teens he had composed several hundred pieces, thirteen piano sonatas among them. For a more extensive biography of Alexander Tcherepnin, and information about his works and compositional techniques, visit the Tcherepnin Society website at www.tcherepnin.com. Reviews
“Koukl proves himself a most sympathetic advocate for Tcherepnin’s music, whether on a small or large scale.” – International Piano
“Fascinatingly fresh” – Pizzicato
“This is one of those discs that makes me want to shout with delight. ” – MusicWeb International
Also Available
Grand Piano has gained a reputation for producing high quality recordings of rare keyboard gems. Dedicated to the exploration of undiscovered piano repertoire, the label specialises in complete cycles of piano works by many lesser-known composers, whose output might otherwise have remained unknown and unrecorded.
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