After graduating from the Moscow Conservatory it was obvious Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951) was destined for a career as a concert pianist, but he also enjoyed a fruitful career as a composer. Rachmaninov described Medtner as ‘the greatest composer of our time’ and his penchant for the piano is reflected in his substantial number of compositions, all of which include the piano.

Medtner was born in Moscow but his ancestry was German. Stimmungsbilder Op.1 illustrates the wide spectrum of German-Russian romanticism. As a contrast, the more abstract and improvised Sonata Triad, Op. 11 features elements of extended etudes mixed with aria-like lyricism. His Forgotten Melodies were written as a balance to the agonies of the ongoing war and revolution.

Ekaterina Derzhavina (piano)