Rachmaninov and Medtner.

[teamsaint]

Its a twofer this week again. BBC saving money as usual .

I really enjoyed the bit of the op 5 medtner sonata played today. Missed large bits of the show though, due to having to work. Now, for ever, Medtner op 5 will be associated with the drive from Christchurch to Bournemouth via Boscombe.
A trip which needs a bit of musical uplift, incidentally.

[Pianorak]

I have got the Chandos CDs of Medtner as recorded by the late Geoffrey Tozer. I think his op. 5 Sonata is a very fine work altogether, as is the rest of his output. Definitely worth exploring.

[teamsaint]

I have got the Chandos CDs of Medtner as recorded by the late Geoffrey Tozer. I think his op. 5 Sonata is a very fine work altogether, as is the rest of his output. Definitely worth exploring.

On one of my relatively rare trips out, I have seen Hamish Milne play some Medtner. His crusade to publicise this music is good work !!

[Pianorak]

Glad you mention Hamish Milne. I hadn't heard his recording of this Medtner sonata before and was completely bowled over by it. And having just played the Geoffrey Tozer interpretation I think Milne has got the edge.

[Nick Armstrong]

A great new champion of Medtner is Yevgeny Sudbin. Among the very generous downloadable mp3 clips on the media page of his website are complete live performances of the "Sonata Tragica" and "Sonata Reminiscenza" both of which are terrific I think: http://www.yevgenysudbin.com/artist.php?view=media

There is also Yevgeny's own transcription of a Medtner song, as well as other treasure trove (the Bach/Friedman 'Sicilienne' for instance )

[Pianorak]

A great new champion of Medtner is Yevgeny Sudbin. . .

I am glad to hear it. He got terrific reviews for his Scriabin recording/s. I heard him live some time ago and can only assume I caught him on an off-day. All I remember is a Scarlatti sonata and that only because I happen to know it quite well.

PS
Listening to the Rzewski now there is a big chunk of the Medtner Sonata op 5 in there - it's quite uncanny.

[Serial_Apologist]

Interesting to hear it said on this morning's programme that Medtner did not take to the commonplace description of him as a Brahmsian, as I think Schumann and Liszt with occasional hints of Faure, are the prominent past presences within his music. I hadn't realised just how much his music has in common with Rachmaninov's until now.

[Nick Armstrong]

Here I am ts...

I feel a bit miffed too - I'd have thought everyone would be falling over themselves to get at the free stuff on YS's website

But as I was saying - v interesting today to learn that Medtner's brother was such a pain (and that Medtner married his brother's wife once he's finished with her ).

Good COTW

[teamsaint]

Can't get those downloads ATM, mind you my broadband is going more slowly than a tory minister who's bang to rights .
Will try again tomorrow in a show of thanks and musical solidarity.

edit..the brother's wife thing...hmmmm

[Nick Armstrong]

Can't get those downloads ATM, mind you my broadband is going more slowly than a tory minister who's bang to rights .
Will try again tomorrow in a show of thanks and musical solidarity.

Worth persevering. Hearing those performances made me go and get the scores of the two sonatas - and realise how unbelievably difficult the music is. Even the easy-sounding bits are hard

[Flay]

Nobody has commented on Medtner's 2nd piano concerto played yesterday on COTW. I thought it was brilliant work.

I don't think I had ever heard of Medtner before this week. Surely this concerto should be heard more often?

[Nick Armstrong]

Nobody has commented on Medtner's 2nd piano concerto played yesterday on COTW. I thought it was brilliant work.

I don't think I had ever heard of Medtner before this week. Surely this concerto should be heard more often?

I love it. Have for a while, I've got the Demidenko (the one on the radio), Tozer on Chandos and most recently Yevgeny S - great! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sudbin-Plays.../dp/B002SF2VHA

[Pianorak]

I forget who said it: Medtner is Rachmaninov without the tunes. True or False?

[Serial_Apologist]

I forget who said it: Medtner is Rachmaninov without the tunes. True or False?

I suppose it all depends on what one defines as "tunes" - but before some wag comes up with a picture of cough lozenges, to me the two exposition themes from Medtner's Piano Sonata Op 22 are particularly memorable, and on a par with any by Rachmaninov in terms of singeability. The difference I think lies between the usefulnesss of Medtner's themes in terms of their mutability for sonata-developmental purposes, and Rachmaninov's, which tend to serve more in stand-alone terms: there's not a lot Rachmaninov could do with them, other than state them and go on to something else - which, for me at any rate, makes Rach the less sustaining composer to listen to.

[ahinton]

I forget who said it: Medtner is Rachmaninov without the tunes. True or False?

Absolutely and utterly false, as I'm sure both Rachmaninov and Medtner would themselves testify if only there were still with us and happened to be members of this forum (if only!). Medtner is Medtner and Rachmaninov Rachmaninov - two very different composers who each happened to have in common their Russianness, their gifts as pianists and piano composers, their preternatural genius as song composers and of course their mutual friendship, respect and admiration. Medtner confined himself largely to piano music, songs, chamber music and piano concertos whereas Rachmaninov did all of these things but also wrote other orchestral scores and stage works; Medtner claimed to have found orchestration a chore (which from the score of the first piano concerto in particular one would never guess) whereas Rachmaninov relished it. Medtner is Rachmaninov without the fame, perhaps, but each had so well developed a melodic gift that the suggestion that the former was the latter without the tunes is at best arrant nonsense!