[Russian
Viola Sonatas;
Eliesha Nelson, viola; Glen Inanga, piano; Sono Luminus DSL-92136
(2011) (71:02)]
At
www.ElieshaNelson.com we
are invited to "Meet The Composers" whose works make up the acclaimed CD
of Eliesha Nelson and Glen Inanga, Russian
Viola Sonatas:
Varvara Adrianovna Gaigerova was born in
Oryekhovo-Zuyevo, Russia, on October 4, 1903, and died in Moscow on
April 6, 1944, shortly before her 41st birthday. Not much can be
found on her biographically, and I was unable to find out exactly why
she died so young. Oryekhovo-Zuyevo is east of Moscow city, near the
Klyazma River, and formed in 1917 as an amalgamation of several
industrial towns. She studied at the Moscow Conservatory in the
1920's with Heinrich Neuhaus (piano), Nikolai Myaskovsy and Georgy
Catoire (composition). Her earlier works are heavily influenced by
Scriabin. She worked at the Bolshoi Ballet as a pianist, as well as
in Oryekhovo-Zuyevo. In the 1930's she began incorporating folk music
into her music from ethnic groups of the Soviet Union (Buryats,
Uzbeks, Yakuts, Turkmenian, etc.) and writing works dedicated to
socialism and the revolution. She was the only composer on this album
to remain in Russia during political turmoil. Her works include:
- 3 Symphonies (1928, 1934, 1947)
3 Suites (1932-1935) Piano sonatas and shorter works over 150 romancesbased on poetry
On this recording: Suite for Viola and Piano, Op. 8
Alexander Winkler is the oldest of the three
composers on the recording. He was born in Kharkov on March 3,1865,
and died in Besançon, France on August 6, 1935. His viola works on
this disc are the first recorded performances, as is the Suite by
Gaigerova. Winkler studied in Paris where he studied piano with
Victor- Alphonse Duvernoy (1842-1907) and in Vienna, piano with
Theodor Leschetizky (1830- 1915) and composition with Karl Navrátil
(1836-1914). He returned to Kharkov in 1890 to teach piano, and then
from 1896-1924 he taught at the St. Petersburg/Petrograd
Conservatory. His best known students were Sergei Prokofiev and
Alfred Swan. He was a member of the “Belyayev Circle,” which was
a group of composers including Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Alexander
Glazunov and Antatoly Lyadov, that championed a national style of
classical music. Mitrofan Belyayev was a successful timber merchant
and amateur violist who became an arts patron and publisher after
hearing Alexander Glazunov's music. Many young composers hoping for
patronage studied with members of this group, making it influential.
Winkler immigrated to France in 1924 to become a professor in the
Besançon Conservatory, and the following year its director. He
transcribed and arranged music composed by fellow “Belyayev Circle”
composers. His works also include:
- 3 string quartets
- 1 string quintet
- 1 piano quartet
- 1 piano trio
- several songs
- piano pieces
- several orchestral works
On this recording: Two Pieces for Viola and Piano, Op.31
Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op. 10
Pavel Fedorovich (Paul) Juon was born in Moscow,
on March 6, 1872 and died in Vevey, Switzerland, on August 21, 1940.
He was the son of a prominent Moscow official of Swiss and German
descent. He went to a German primary school in Russia and spoke
German at home. He studied violin with Jan Hrimaly a the Moscow
Conservatory, and composition with Sergei Taneyev and Anton Arensky.
In 1894, he studied composition in Berlin with Woldermar Bargiel, the
half brother of Clara Schumann. During 1915- 1918, Juon spent time as
interpreter in a German prison camp, while his relatives fought for
the Russians. After the war he moved to Berlin, where he achieved
success as a composer. As a perfectionist who did not self promote,
he was relatively well known while alive. He retired in 1934 for
health reasons, and chose to move to Vevey, Switzerland, where he
claimed citizenship. He was a prolific composer with at least 100
opuses, and his German musical influences nicknamed him the “Russian
Brahms.” The Juon International Society can be found online at:
http://www.juon.org/.
On this recording: Sonata in D major for Viola and Piano, Op.
15
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