Viktor Valkov - Ornstein: Piano Music, Vol. 3 (First Recordings) (2023) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. 9 Vignettes, SO 380: No. 1, Moderato
02. 9 Vignettes, SO 380: No. 2, Con moto
03. 9 Vignettes, SO 380: No. 3, Moderato
04. 9 Vignettes, SO 380: No. 4, Animato
05. 9 Vignettes, SO 380: No. 5, Moderato
06. 9 Vignettes, SO 380: No. 6, Allegro
07. 9 Vignettes, SO 380: No. 7, Animato
08. 9 Vignettes, SO 380: No. 8, Moderato
09. 9 Vignettes, SO 380: No. 9, Moderato con moto
10. Bagatelle, SO 100
11. A Moment of Retrospect, SO 156
12. The Cathedral, SO 73
13. Nocturne No. 1, SO 153
14. 3 Moods, SO 5: No. 1, Anger
15. 3 Moods, SO 5: No. 2, Grief
16. 3 Moods, SO 5: No. 3, Joy

Leo Ornstein is as well known for his extraordinary longevity as for his music: he was born in Ukraine in 1893 and died in Wisconsin in 2002, aged at least 108. His generous output of music, much of it for the piano, his own instrument, remains poorly known, although it can stand shoulder to shoulder with that of many better-known names. Some of the pieces here – which cover a span of over 60 years – have their roots in Debussy, Skryabin and Szymanowski, but Ornstein welds those influences into an edgy, energetic language very much his own. The Three Moods of c. 1914 are anger, grief and joy, but there is strength of feeling in all the music to be heard here. Indeed, the Nine Vignettes bear a misleading title: they are substantial and powerful virtuoso essays which can flare up into moments of startling power and violence; hitherto unknown, they constitute a major contribution to the piano literature.

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