Ustvolskaya: Piano Sonata No. 2

Galina Ustvolskaya was Shostakovich’s favourite pupil. He even said to her: “you are a phenomenon, while I am but a talent”. Her piano works, uncompromising granite sculptures, feature sharp and extreme dynamic contrasts, cluster chords and use of the extreme registers of the keyboard, while their spiritual message is one of infinite despair and passionate protest (whether against the Soviet regime, or against human existence in general). Ivan Sokolov (b.1960), Russian pianist and composer, was one of Ustvolskaya’s favoured interpreters, and his playing bears a monumental and authorative stamp of uthenticity.

Recording: October 1995, Studio of Moscow Radio House

They say that Galina Ustvolskaya (1919-2006) led a very secluded life, that she was a loner. It is amazing though, how distinct an image of her emerges from the almost meditative way in which she immersed herself in structures, dynamics and combinations of pitches.

Markus Hinterhäuser shows us a terrific interpretation of the piano sonatas from the Russian composer, making them sound as if it were the music of an intimate friend.

Galina Ustovolskaya's music belongs so utterley to a separate world that all historical echoes, including all those of Satie, can only be registered as afterthoughts. What is most astonishing about these works is how brute dissonance becomes nobly and intensely expressive, like rough-cut stone metamorphosed into shining marble pillars. Alex Ross

This complete recording of the piano works of the Russian composer Galina Ustvolskaya demonstrates her individuality and strict stylistic continuity. From simple building blocks of sound she cultivates clear but complex structures.