About this Release
“When I discovered the Barjansky scores in the library and first tried some of his pieces I was instantly moved by the beauty of the harmonies, the poetic aura of the melody. You hear the influence of Tchaikovsky and Schubert, but also of Beethoven and Brahms which effortless blend into a new original Barjansky. One of my favourite pieces is Remembrance with its intimate nostalgia speaking directly from the soul. And I cannot help but be enchanted by the first Fantasy piece with its enrapturing harmonies which stay in the listener’s ear and mind long after the piece has finished, leaving a desire to come back and listen again. Since Barjansky uses the entire range of the keyboard and the spatial sound as a means of expression, I decided to record this album not in the studio, but with the natural reverberation of a church.” — Julia Severus
BARJANSKY, ADOLF (1851–1900)
Complete Piano Works • 1
- Julia Severus, piano
Adolf Barjansky was born in Odessa into a wealthy Russian-Jewish family, and received his musical education in Vienna, Paris and Leipzig, studying piano with Carl Reinecke and Salomon Judassohn. Barjansky composed relatively few works, but his highly attractive and original piano music reveals the influence of Schubert, Beethoven and Brahms with a wealth of Russian colour, as heard in the Fantasy Pieces. The 6 Piano Pieces are impressionistic and radiant, while the large-scale Piano Sonata No. 1 uses spatial sound as a principal means of expression, blending it with a highly modern simplicity and transparency of structure that anticipates 20th-century minimalism.
This recording was made on a modern instrument: Steinway, Model D
Tracklist
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Fantasy Pieces, Op. 9 () (00:13:00 )
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1
No. 1. Presto (00:03:02)
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2
No. 2. Andante sostenuto (00:04:03)
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3
No. 3. Allegro giusto ma vivo (00:01:42)
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4
No. 4. Allegretto moderato (00:01:58)
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5
No. 5. Andante non troppo (00:02:46)
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6
No. 6. Con moto tranquillo (00:02:46)
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Piano Sonata No. 1, Op. 7 () (00:26:00 )
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7
I. Allegro maestoso (00:07:18)
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8
II. Maestoso (00:06:39)
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9
III. Presto (00:03:56)
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10
IV. Allegro molto quasi presto ed appassionato (00:08:56)
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6 Piano Pieces, Op. 10 () (00:22:00 )
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11
No. 1. Near the Sea (00:04:06)
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12
No. 2. Remembrance (00:03:33)
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13
No. 3. Lullaby (00:05:19)
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14
No. 4. Scherzo (00:01:15)
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15
No. 5. A Happy Home (00:03:36)
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16
No. 6. Devotion (00:02:57)
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The Artist(s)
Julia Severus began playing the piano at the age of four. She graduated from the Berlin University of Arts and from the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where she studied piano with Mikhail Voskresensky and Lev Naumov. Wishing to explore piano ensemble repertoire, she founded the Aurora Duo and Quartet, performing numerous premieres and world premieres, among them Rodion Shchedrin’s Hommage à Chopin in the presence of the composer, followed by a recording for two pianos, eight hands, of Russian Romantic Piano Transcriptions (Naxos 8.557717). Her solo recordings, including Tchaikovsky’s opera and song transcriptions (GP795), have been highly praised. Julia Severus lives and works in Paris and Berlin. The Composer(s)
Adolf Barjansky’s well-known, relatively small work, which he composed mainly between 1892 and 1900 and which was published by August Cranz in Hamburg and Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig, includes, in addition to the works for piano, a sonata for cello and piano, a piano trio, a piano quartet and two string quartets.
Barjansky lived with his family in Odessa and, according to a contemporary report, was not only active in composition, but also a generous benefactor. Reviews
“Highly recommended. I can hardly wait for subsequent albums in this series.” – The Classical Music Guide Forums
“Listening to these three works reveals a performance that is committed, powerful and often moving.” – MusicWeb International
“A discovery! ” – Stretto
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.
- info@grandpianorecords.com
