Piano Music By Anatoly Alexandrov (2002)

Six Preludes Op 1
1 	Moderato, Con Agitazione Patetica 	0:57
2 	Languido 	1:25
3 	Misterioso, Con Importanza 	2:01
4 	Impetuoso, Protestando 	0:54
5 	Liberamente, Amoroso 	1:03
6 	Pensieroso, Commodo 	1:55
Piano Sonata No 4 Op 19
7 	Agitato Mosso, Con Slancio Vigoroso E Gran' Passione 	7:31
8 	Andante Meditativo 	5:23
9 	Invocando, Un Poco Sostenuto 	4:59
Obsession Passée (A Long Forgotten Madness) Op 6
10 	Longing: Languido 	2:24
11 	Etude: Pas Très Vite 	1:03
12 	Impression (Botticelli): Très Nerveux (Tempo Rubato) 	0:48
13 	Epilogue: Poco Agitato - Drammatico 	1:11
Three Studies Op 31
14 	Veloce 	1:18
15 	Andante Con Moto 	3:30
16 	Sordamente 	2:59
From Romantic Episodes Op 88
17 	No 6: Adagio, Cantabile 	4:01
18 	No 10: Tempestoso E Maestoso 	1:55
Piano Sonata No 3 Op 18
19 	Tastando Il Tempo Giusto; Flessibile Mosso 	5:21
20 	Interludio: Andante Semplice 	2:14
21 	Sostenuto, Sordamente 	8:04
Visions Op 111
22 	(Adagio) 	1:45
23 	Allegro 	2:14
Elegy And Waltz Op 89
24 	Elegy: Andante Caldo Ed Espressivo 	4:04
25 	Waltz: Tempo Di Valse Moderato E Grazioso 	4:53

Hamish Milne – piano

The Russian composer Anatoly Alexandrov (1888-1982) discovered his Scriabin-Rimsky-K-meets-Debussy-filtered-through-Medtner-and-Miaskovsky style early in his long life, rarely strayed from its lavish keyboard parameters, and ultimately lived to see himself become an anachronism. Big chords and booming octaves dominate his idiomatic, harmonically rich piano writing, with swirling scales, firefly tremolos, and not terribly memorable tunes. If you want late Scriabin but can’t deal with the sex and mysticism, Alexandrov will surely please. Obviously, Hamish Milne believes in this music 125 percent, and he sails through the composer’s daunting challenges with complete technical command and a gorgeous tone to match. Listeners who habitually seek Romantic pianism’s unexplored byways probably will love this music more than I do, and probably won’t hear it played better on disc for years to come. My rating, therefore, reflects Hyperion’s super-as-usual production values and Milne’s first-class artistry. --- Jed Distler, classicstoday.com

Anatoly Alexandrov (1888-1982) - not to be confused with several other Russian composers with the name Alexandrov - was a Russian composer and pianist who wrote music in virtually all genres but mainly focused on the keyboard. The style is reminiscent of late Scriabin and, perhaps more than anything else, Medtner. Now, Alexandrov's music isn't, in the end, quite on the level of either of those composers, but this survey by Hamish Milne proves that Alexandrov is certainly a worthwhile encounter. The music is harmonically rich and lush, with varied textures and some brilliant fireworks without, perhaps, very much in terms of memorable melodies. There is a certain stylistic development between the preludes op. 1 and the third sonata op. 18, but fairly little between that one and, say, the Visions op. 111. Hamish Milne plays it all with amazing aplomb - surely you can wish for no better advocate of this music - and the production and presentation is of the high Hyperion standards we've become used to. Recommended. --- G.D., amazon.com

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