Nikolai Kapustin & A Bu: New Memories

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Bu’s playing is an ideal commingling of Romantic and jazz pianistic approaches. His tone is unfailingly warm, including in louder or more aggressive passages. He is generous with his rubato and... — Fanfare, July/August 2023 More…

Release Date: 4th Nov 2022
Catalogue No: WER74052
Label: Wergo
Length: 55 minutes

Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days

Bu, A: Fantasie “Sleeping in a Dream”, Op. 7

Work length7:29

$1.50

$2.10

$2.60

A Bu

Kapustin: Variations for Piano, Op. 41

Work length7:23

$1.50

$2.10

$2.60

A Bu

Kapustin: Concert Studies (Etudes) for Piano, Op. 40

Work length23:50

$8.00

$11.20

$14.00

A Bu

I. Prelude

Track length2:13

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

II. Reveriek

Track length3:11

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

III. Toccatina

Track length2:18

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

IV. Reminiscence

Track length4:31

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

V. Raillery

Track length2:31

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

VI. Pastoral

Track length2:39

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

VII. Intermezzo

Track length3:51

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

VIII. Finale

Track length2:36

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

Bu, A: Piano Sonata No. 1 “Pinus”

Work length17:04

$4.00

$5.60

$7.00

A Bu

I. Vivace

Track length4:06

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

II. Moderato

Track length4:22

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

III. Scherzo

Track length3:13

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

IV. Finale. Allegro molto – L’istesso tempo

Track length5:23

$1.00

$1.40

$1.75

About
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About

The Russian composer Nikolai Kapustin (1937-2020), who died at the beginning of the pandemic-related cultural hiatus which has been unique with regard to world history, was able to experience considerable appreciation in his last two decades, which recently gained more and more momentum. Coming from the best Soviet aristocracy of piano teaching - Kapustin was a pupil of a pupil of Horowitz's teacher Blumenfeld and then studied with the great Alexander Goldenweiser until 1961 -, he was denied great recognition in the Soviet Union. As with many great piano composers since Chopin, the cycle of concert etudes from the middle of his life is particularly suitable for an introduction to this world of works. Kapustin's typical reference to jazz, which probably kept him from greater success in the Soviet years, is based on the highly individual, deliberate adaptation of stylistic elements. He got to know jazz greats such as Ellington, Basie, Cole, Garner, Peterson and others through records and the radio and picked out what suited him. The extremely sensitive, not monotonously hammering as is so often the case, approach of the Chinese pianist A Bu, who is also trained in jazz, is pleasing with regard to interpretation, and he demonstrates his affinity for Kapustin's music through two samples of his own work.

Reviews

July/August 2023

Bu’s playing is an ideal commingling of Romantic and jazz pianistic approaches. His tone is unfailingly warm, including in louder or more aggressive passages. He is generous with his rubato and has a clear sense of where a phrase needs to stretch to amplify harmonic tension. But he has a jazz pianist’s sense of articulation. The recorded sound on this disc is rich but clear.

Nikolai Kapustin & A Bu: New Memories

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