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Glazunov: Music for Piano 4-Hands & 2 Pianos / Duo Datteri Lencioni
Brilliant Classics

Glazunov: Music for Piano 4-Hands & 2 Pianos / Duo Datteri Lencioni

$17.99

Details

Composer
Alexander Kostantinovich Glazunov
Artist
Duo Datteri Lenconi
Format
CD
Label
Brilliant Classics
Released
May 27, 2022
Catalog #
BRI96069
UPC
5028421960692

About

A precocious Alexander Kostantinovich Glazunov at 16 took the Russian concert scene by storm. The teenage composer had plentiful musical ideas, a full mastery of form and enviable skill in orchestration, certainly influenced by his teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov. However, unlike his predecessors, the “Mighty Handful”, Glazunov lived through the political unrest that ultimately led to the Russian revolution and to communism. His directorship of the St Petersburg Conservatoire straddled Czarism and the first years of communist rule, yet ultimately his Russian musical ideal did not correspond to that of Soviet music (nor did his ideal of Russian life correspond to Soviet life). He consequently he fled the USSR, finding refuge in Western Europe, and Glazunov can now be counted among those unjustly neglected artists whose national pre-eminence was unseated by exile.

This double album for Brilliant Classics is therefore particularly welcome, shedding new light on Glazunov’s compositional output for piano duet. All but one of the works recorded here also exist in orchestral versions, but they are not necessarily derivative arrangements or reductions: it is not always easy to determine which version came first. The Fantasy Op.104 is the lone work on this program explicitly conceived for two pianos. Given Glazunov’s ability as an orchestrator, one might doubt the value of these piano versions as mere black-and-white sketches of original, colorful paintings. This is far from the case, as this recording demonstrates. Glazunov’s mastery of colors and voicings extends to the piano as well; the existence of the composer’s own orchestration can inform the pianists’ interpretive choices; and the sobriety of the piano version can highlight musical details that might go unnoticed in the lush orchestral treatment.

REVIEW:

This collection is a substantial addition to my library of music for two pianists, and came as a pleasant surprise. The big 30-minute, 3- movement Fantasy for 2 pianos is the only piece on this program written specifically and only for two pianists. It is also the high point here. The Middle-Ages Suite has four great movements that spread out over 25 minutes: Prelude, Scherzo, Serenade of the Troubadour, and Finale. The playing is both lyrical and exciting as the music demands. Based on this recording, piano duos will find this a worthy addition to their repertoire and I imagine quite effective in concert.

This husband-wife duo have been playing together professionally since 1998, so the excellent ensemble heard here is the result of their nearly 25 year partnership. The recorded sound is quite good, as is the detailed booklet essay by Chiara Bertoglio. There is a lot on this program worth getting to know, and I appreciate their pianism and musicological research.

-- American Record Guide (James Harrington)

Tracklist 15 tracks

  1. 1 Carnaval Overture, Op. 45 (arr. for piano 4 hands) 10:03
    Track
    1
    Title
    Carnaval Overture, Op. 45 (arr. for piano 4 hands)
    Duration
    10:03
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  2. 2 Serenade No. 1, Op. 7 (arr. for piano 4 hands) 04:06
    Track
    2
    Title
    Serenade No. 1, Op. 7 (arr. for piano 4 hands)
    Duration
    04:06
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  3. 3 Serenade No. 2, Op. 11 (arr. for piano 4 hands) 04:08
    Track
    3
    Title
    Serenade No. 2, Op. 11 (arr. for piano 4 hands)
    Duration
    04:08
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  4. 4 I. Prélude: Allegro 07:02
    Track
    4
    Title
    I. Prélude: Allegro
    Duration
    07:02
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  5. 5 II. Scherzo: Allegro assai 04:13
    Track
    5
    Title
    II. Scherzo: Allegro assai
    Duration
    04:13
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  6. 6 III. Sérénade du troubadour: Andantino 04:03
    Track
    6
    Title
    III. Sérénade du troubadour: Andantino
    Duration
    04:03
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  7. 7 IV. Finale: Allegro 09:39
    Track
    7
    Title
    IV. Finale: Allegro
    Duration
    09:39
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  8. 8 Russkaya fantaziya, Op. 86 (arr. for piano 4 hands) 05:08
    Track
    8
    Title
    Russkaya fantaziya, Op. 86 (arr. for piano 4 hands)
    Duration
    05:08
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  9. 9 Concert Waltz No. 1 in D Major, Op. 47 (arr. for piano 4 hands) 08:37
    Track
    9
    Title
    Concert Waltz No. 1 in D Major, Op. 47 (arr. for piano 4 hands)
    Duration
    08:37
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  10. 10 I. Moderato tranquillo - Allegro 11:56
    Track
    10
    Title
    I. Moderato tranquillo - Allegro
    Duration
    11:56
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  11. 11 II. Scherzo: Allegro 05:42
    Track
    11
    Title
    II. Scherzo: Allegro
    Duration
    05:42
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  12. 12 III. Moderato - Allegro 12:22
    Track
    12
    Title
    III. Moderato - Allegro
    Duration
    12:22
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  13. 13 Esquisses finnoises (Finnish Sketches), Op. 89: No. 1. From the Kalevala (arr. for piano 4 hands) 05:27
    Track
    13
    Title
    Esquisses finnoises (Finnish Sketches), Op. 89: No. 1. From the Kalevala (arr. for piano 4 hands)
    Duration
    05:27
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  14. 14 Cortège solennel in D Major, Op. 50 (arr. for piano 4 hands) 07:23
    Track
    14
    Title
    Cortège solennel in D Major, Op. 50 (arr. for piano 4 hands)
    Duration
    07:23
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni
  15. 15 Stenka Razin, Op. 13 (arr. for piano 4 hands) 16:37
    Track
    15
    Title
    Stenka Razin, Op. 13 (arr. for piano 4 hands)
    Duration
    16:37
    Composer
    Alexander Glazunov
    Ensemble
    Duo Datteri Lencioni