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CDA67328


Recording details: October 2001
Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Jeremy Hayes
Engineered by Tony Faulkner
Release date: May 2002
Total duration: 73 minutes 52 seconds

CBC COUP DE COEUR (CANADA)
RECOMMANDE PAR REPERTOIRE

'This is altogether exceptional playing … it made me want to dust down my two volumes of Alexandrov's music and take them straight to the piano to find out what other treasures they have in store. May it please be the first of several' (International Record Review)

'Hamish Milne’s poetic insight comes as no surprise … This is rather a find … Civilised, rewarding listening, warmly recommended to anyone for whom aesthetic novelty matters less than purely musical value' (Gramophone)

'Milne expounds all this music … with evident affection and belief, and with all the musicality and technical mastery it demands, in an absolutely first-rate recording' (International Piano)

'Imagine a cab ride where the driver is in the same league as Formula One driver Michael Schumacher. There’s something similar to be said for this Hyperion release, in which we have the privilege to hear a forgotten but phenomenal composer through the mind of such a distinguished and world-class pianist as Hamish Milne' (Pianist)

'Hamish Milne, on this new Hyperion release is a persuasive advocate for this music … Recommended? But of course, and let’s hope that more Alexandrov appears, and soon' (Fanfare, USA)

'Sumptuous recording, with brilliant and thoughtful playing by Hamish Milne … Piano enthusiasts looking for new material – especially those interested in Russian music – will certainly enjoy this' (American Record Guide)

'On a envie de remercier le pianiste Hamish Milne pour son interprétation magnifique, très soignée, et surtout pour nous permettre de découvrir une musique aussi belle, doucement expressive et envoûtante’ (Répertoire, France)

'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' (ClassicsToday.com)

Anatoly Alexandrov (1888-1982)
Piano Music
Hamish Milne (piano)
LISTEN TO ALL EXTRACTS
Six Preludes, Op 1
1
No 1: Moderato, con agitazione patetica  [0'57]
2
No 2: Languido  [1'25]
3
No 3: Misterioso, con importanza  [2'01]
4
No 4: Impetuoso, protestando  [0'54]
5
No 5: Liberamente, amoroso  [1'03]
6
No 6: Pensieroso, commodo  [1'55]
Piano Sonata No 4, Op 19
7
Movement 1: Agitato mosso, con slancio vigoroso e gran' passione  [7'31]
8
Movement 2: Andante meditativo  [5'23]
9
Movement 3: Invocando, un poco sostenuto  [4'59]
Obsession passée, Op 6
10
Movement 1: Longing. Languido  [2'24]
11
Movement 2: Étude. Pas très vite  [1'03]
12
Movement 3: Impression, Botticelli. Très nerveux, tempo rubato  [0'48]
13
Movement 4: Epilogue. Poco agitato – Drammatico  [1'11]
Three Studies, Op 31
14
No 1: Veloce  [1'18]
15
No 2: Andante con moto  [3'30]
16
No 3: Sordamente  [2'59]
Romantic Episodes, Op 88
17
No 06: Adagio, cantabile  [4'01]
18
No 10: Tempestoso e maestoso  [1'55]
Piano Sonata No 3, Op 18
19
Movement 1: Tastando il tempo giusto, flessibile mosso  [5'21]
20
Movement 2: Interludio. Andante semplice  [2'14]
21
Movement 3: Sostenuto, sordamente  [8'04]
Visions, Op 111
22
Movement 1: Adagio  [1'45]
23
Movement 2: Allegro  [2'14]
Elegy and Waltz, Op 89
24
Movement 1: Elegy. Andante caldo ed espressivo  [4'04]
25
Movement 2: Waltz. Tempo di valse moderato e grazioso  [4'53]
If you like Medtner and Scriabin, you'll love this. Anatoly Alexandrov (1888-1982) was one of the most prominent Soviet composers who forged a new creative voice in Russian music after the lush Romanticism of Rachmaninov. He composed piano music that was both individual and forwardlooking, yet steeped in Russian tradition. After the 1920s Alexandrov distanced himself from the more avant-garde modernism of, say, Nikolay Roslavets. Most of his music is forgotten, at least in the West, and this selection of his finest piano works should place his name firmly back on the musical map. Alexandrov's best piano music often suggests a fusion of Scriabin and Medtner, but with an individual voice exemplified by the quirky title of his Opus 6, A Long-Forgotten Madness. Hamish Milne's experience with the music of Medtner tells in these superb performances.