Composer Boris Tishchenko’s prolific output includes, importantly, eleven piano sonatas: the First, his Op.3, the final his last completed score. Most are extensive, almost symphonic...

Composer Boris Tishchenko’s prolific output includes, importantly, eleven piano sonatas: the First, his Op.3, the final his last completed score. Most are extensive, almost symphonic in scale. The unusual three-movement No. 7, Op.85 (1982) is a sonata ‘for piano with bells’, the pianist joined by a percussionist playing large bells, tubular bells and glockenspiel. No. 8, Op.99 (1986) is also a three-movement work, but that is where the similarities end. Their juxtaposition pays him perfect tribute, bearing in mind how deeply he respected tradition while also tearing up its rulebook.