Between the two sets Opp 26 and 34 come two isolated
Skazki: the enigmatic and bi-polar Op 31 No 3 which oscillates disturbingly between lassitude and manic energy, even anger; and then the only
Skazka without opus number, now known as ‘1915’, the year of its publication. When asked why he had assigned no opus number to this enigmatic miniature, Medtner replied: ‘It is of no importance.’ There are ample grounds for disagreement since it represents in its compression and organization a kind of microcosm of Medtner’s art. Its thirty-four bars encompass two double-barrelled themes, a thoroughly worked development, a clearly defined climax and coda.
from notes by Hamish Milne © 2007
