NIKOLAI MEDTNER (1880–1951)
Piano Concerto No 2 in C minor Op 50 	[38'57]
1.Toccata: Allegro risoluto	[18'41]
2.Romanza: Andante con moto	 [8'37]
3.Divertimento: Allegro risoluto e molto vivace	 [11'40]

SERGEI RACHMANINOV (1873–1943)
Piano Concerto No 3 in D minor Op 30	 [43'11]
4.Allegro ma non tanto		[17'27]
5.Intermezzo: Adagio	 [11'06]
6.Finale: Alla breve	 [14'38]

Marc-André Hamelin – piano
London Philharmonic Orchestra 
Vladimir Jurowski – conductor

Hyperion already has excellent recordings of both of these concertos, from Demidenko (Medtner) and Hough (Rachmaninov), but as they saying goes, “greatness is its own justification,” and this is a great disc. At eighty-two minutes, it’s also a very generous one. In a way, these concertos belong together. Not only were the composers friends, but both works, while cloaked in romantic virtuoso garb, are heavily symphonic in structure and syntax.

That makes Hamelin an ideal advocate. He is, of course, an exceptional keyboard virtuoso, but one of a very special type. The harder the music is to play, the easier he makes it sound. You can take the technical security completely for granted and focus entirely on matters of form and expression. In music that exists largely for virtuoso display, where a sense of strain is part of the point, this very quality can make his interpretations sound somewhat slick; but where the atrocious difficulty of the solo writing isn’t the primary focus and serves a larger purpose, as here, he is incomparable. Hamelin isn’t just a technical wizard–he’s a smart one.

I’m not sure if I am making this point optimally clear–it’s a difficult quality to describe, although easy enough to hear, especially in considering Medtner. He was a very good, if perhaps too reticent, composer. Like Rachmaninov, the bold, Russian romantic style often masks quite different musical concerns. The Second Concerto is a magnificent work in three movements: Toccata, Romanza, and Divertimento. As these characteristic titles reveal, Medtner is thinking of formal archetypes and genre as much as flash and dash. They are equally important.

The result, though certainly thematically attractive, lacks the big tunes that Medtner’s provenance prompts us to expect. But because the compositional artistry is so strong, the work grows on you with repetition. There’s real musical substance, and Hamelin proves the perfect guide to take us on this particular journey. His ability to shape and master thickets of notes without producing a feeling of heaviness in the work’s outer movements keeps the listener engaged without a trace of monotony. Even with fine versions from the likes of Tozer, Sudbin, Demidenko, and Sherbakov, this is outstanding.

Memorable tunes, of course, were never Rachmaninov’s problem, but the Third Concerto is still one of his most formally successful pieces. It’s probably fair to say that just about all of the main themes occur in the first movement, with the next two providing variations and amplifications of them. Sure, it’s wonderful to hear the music played with insane virtuoso abandon: that’s why God invented Martha Argerich after all, but there’s still room for a more “symphonic” approach.

Don’t get me wrong, Hamelin isn’t ever too slow or labored. The moments that stand out most are just different: the perfect integration of Rachmaninov’s second, shorter first movement cadenza; the way the quick waltz episode glides out of the slow movement; the balance of the hands in the finale’s second subject; and many other places where unexpected beauty emerges from passages that so often come across as piles of undifferentiated notes. In this performance, everything has shape, point, and flow. Having Vladimir Jurowski on hand as very much an equal partner also helps immeasurably. Hyperion’s excellent engineers can respect the balances between solo and orchestra confident that when the ensemble takes over, the result will be just as characterful and intelligent.

In other words, this long review boils down to a short conclusion: buy this. --- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday

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Disc 1
Violin Sonata No.1 in B minor, Op.21: I. Canzona. Canterellando, con fluidezza
Violin Sonata No.1 in B minor, Op.21: II. Danza. Allegro scherzando
Violin Sonata No.1 in B minor, Op.21: III. Ditirambo. Festivamente
Violin Sonata No.2 in G major, Op.44: I. Introduzione, Maestoso
Violin Sonata No.2 in G major, Op.44: II. Cadenza I, Cadenza II; III. Finale: Rondo
Nocturne No.1 in D minor, Op.16: Andante con moto, sempre, leggiero
Nocturne No.2 in G minor, Op.16: Largamente
Nocturne No.3 in C minor, Op.16: Moderato

Disc 2
Violin Sonata No.3 in E minor, Op.57, `Epic': I. Introduzione
Violin Sonata No.3 in E minor, Op.57, `Epic': II. Scherzo
Violin Sonata No.3 in E minor, Op.57, `Epic': III. Andante con moto; IV. Finale
Canzona No.1 in C major, Op.43: Andantino con motorussian composer,
Danza No.1 in C major, Op.43: Allegro non troppi, capriccioso
Canzona No.2 in B minor, Op.43: Andantino cantabile
Danza No.2 in B minor, Op.43: Allegro

Alexander Shirinsky (violin) 
Dmitri Galynin (piano)

Recorded in Moscow in 1992

After decades of neglect, it seems that Nikolai Medtner's music is finally beginning to receive some of the attention it deserves. Possibly unique amongst 20th century composers, every work composed by Nikolai Medtner includes his own instrument – the piano. Whilst his output isn’t large, in comparison with some who lived into their seventies, Medtner’s is a rich catalogue. It includes fourteen Piano Sonatas – some of them very large pieces full of Beethovenian turmoil and stress. There are also many miniatures for the instrument. Especially remembered are the various series of Skazki, or Fairy Tales; not to mention three magnificent Concertos, three Violin Sonatas, a Piano Quintet and 108 songs. Like the songs of his lifelong friend Rachmaninov, Medtner’s songs are glorious settings of various poets. Again like his compatriot, these pieces should be given by our young singers looking for interesting vocal repertoire. Kilpinen’s songs are as fine and should also be investigated. In 1990 the BBC broadcast all Medtner’s works for violin and piano with that great violinist Manoug Parikian, accompanied by one of Medtner’s best interpreters, Hamish Milne. Even this exposure failed to encourage public performances and these works have never caught on as repertoire pieces, probably because they don’t conform to any established form. ---Bob Briggs, musicweb-international.com

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3 Novelettes, Op.17
1. No 1 In G Major - Andante 3:29  
2. No 2 In C Minor - Tempo Giusto 4:30  
3. No 3 In E Major - Allegro, Molto Sostenuto 5:24		play

Igor Nikonovich - piano

4.Sonata-reminiscence In A Minor, Op.38 No.1 13:07

Emil Gilels - piano

5.Theme And Variations, Op.55 10:18

Nikolai Demidenko - piano

Two Pieces For 2 Pianos, Op.58
6. 1 - Knight Errant Op.58 No.2 11:21
7. 2 - Russian Round Dance Op.58 No.1 5:37

Dmitri Alexeev, Nikolai Demidenko – piano

Nikolai Karlovich Medtner belongs in any conversation about the greatest piano composers of the 20th century. A late Romantic, he is often dismissed in unfavorable comparison with better-known composers, particularly his contemporaries and countrymen Rachmaninov (his lifelong friend and champion) and Scriabin, but also -- in a nod to his Teutonic ancestry and some shared rhythmic devices -- Brahms. These comparisons are facile at best. Medtner's natural command of counterpoint, rhythm, and thematic development, combined with a consuming dedication to his craft, led to an early and rapid stylistic maturation and, as a result, a large number of exquisitely constructed piano works, each of which exhibits unmistakably Medtnerian characteristics.

Unmistakable, that is, to the relative few who have heard any of his music. Although highly pianistic -- Medtner was a formidable pianist himself, and all of his published output is either for solo piano or includes his instrument -- his music is notoriously difficult both to sight-read and to play, which is one reason why it has not been commonly performed. Another reason, perhaps more significant, is that it can be hard to digest on first listen. One of the hallmarks of Medtner's compositional style is an unassuming complexity, as a result of which not only the performer is challenged to render it clearly, but also the listener to apprehend it clearly. A pianist who performs Medtner places rigorous intellectual and technical demands on his audience as well as himself.

The Tenth "Sonata-reminiscenza" in A minor, Op. 38, No. 1, commences a set of eight pieces entitled "Forgotten Melodies (First Cycle)". Two further cycles followed, published as Opp. 39 and 40. Both this and the following sonata were completed in 1920, the year before Medtner emigrated. This single movement is one of Medtner's most poetic creations; as the title indicates, its character is nostalgic and wistful. Other pieces in opus 38 contain variants of the Sonata's opening theme, such as the concluding "Alla Reminiscenza". This sonata is nowadays the most often performed.

The Trois Novelettes, written in 1928 and 1960, are typical of their composer's charm-with-a-twist and illustrate his accessible yet multi-layered piano writing.

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