Medtner: Complete Songs Vol. 5

Levental, Ekaterina;
Peters, Frank

96072

The 5th and last issue in the recording of the complete songs by Medtner!

Nikolai Medtner was born in Moscow in 1880. After piano lessons with his mother he entered the Moscow Conservatory where he had lessons from Pavel Pabst and Sergey Taneyev. He won the prestigious Anton Rubinstein Prize at age 20. A younger contemporary of Scriabin and Rachmaninoff he was destined for a brilliant pianistic career but he chose to concentrate on composition. In 1936 he settled in London where he spent the rest of his life teaching and composing till 1951.

Medtner’s style is rooted in the 19th century, full-blooded romantic, with a highly personal harmonic and melodic language, often complex and dense, but hauntingly beautiful.

This new recording is titled “Sacred Place” (after J.W. von Goethe’s “Geweihter Platz”) and brings together songs on texts by Nietzsche, Goethe, Eichendorff, Lermontov, Pushkin and Hesse.

Ekaterina Levental was born in Uzbekistan. She settled in The Netherlands where she studied at the Conservatory of The Hague. She embarked on a successful career as singer, dramatist and theatre producer. Pianist Frank Peters is a highly respected Dutch pianist, both as soloist and chamber music partner. He is an indefatigable champion of the piano works of Medtner.

‘Levental’s soft high notes are truly exquisite, and she can do things with the voice that most modern singers cannot, such as to drain the voice of vibrato for expressive effect. All things considered, she is a virtuoso vocalist of the old school, and such artists are extremely rare nowadays… “We are very lucky to have a pianist like Peters, who fully understands this dichotomy, as the pianist on this album.” (Artmusiclounge.com). “Levental has a dark, rich voice, but her pure tone is never burdened by excess vibrato… She couldn’t ask for a more responsive partner than Peters, who reveals an astonishingly deft touch and an uncanny ear for detail.” Fanfare (Volume 1, 96056). “The phrasing is so perfect, the sense of line so keen, the rubato so natural sounding, that this seems the only way to sing them… this lucidity is due to the purity of Levental’s voice, which she employs with sure intonation and minimum vibrato, as well with an exquisite (but always controlled) play of colour… This is a major release.” Fanfare (Volume 2, 96061).

Works:

•Nikolai Medtner: 3 Gedichte von Nietzsche op. 19
•Nikolai Medtner: 2 Gedichte von Nietzsche op. 19a
•Nikolai Medtner: Sonate-Vocalise mit einem Motto "Geweihter Platz" von Goethe op. 41 Nr. 1
•Nikolai Medtner: 7 Gedichte op. 46
•Nikolai Medtner: 8 Lieder op. 61
•Nikolai Medtner: Wie kommt es?

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02-12-2024

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