Liadov: Prelude Op. 57/1

In the early years of the 20th century Bartók, Stravinsky, and Schoenberg were venturing out in their own modernistic directions. Yet, at the same time, there were a number of composers in Russia who continued to compose in a Romantic manner. With so much attention being paid to the modernists, many of these Romantic composers were largely ignored and have fallen into unjust neglect. Of the seven composers presented in this recital, only Rachmaninoff has become a household name. Scriabin has gained considerable respect (though in great part for his late works, which are quite modern in style) and Medtner is only just starting to be appreciated by a wider public. Bortkiewicz, Liadov, Liapunov, and Rebikov wrote attractive, emotionally appealing music, but they have yet to receive the recognition they deserve. The majority of their works are hardly known. This collection hopes to introduce solo piano works of some of these unjustly neglected Russian composers.

Bulgarian-born Nadejda Vlaeva's playing has been acclaimed wherever she has appeared. Lazar Berman called her talent "God-given"; Maestro Hans Graf observed that "her musicality and the depth of her interpretation amazed me." Arnold Steinhardt, leader of the Guarneri String Quartet, praised her as "one of those people of extraordinary ability whom we hope for but rarely see." She has performed internationally, giving solo recitals in Bulgaria, Russia, Slovakia, Hungary, The Netherlands, Germany, England, Spain, Canada and the United States, where she now makes her home.

"In the period between the end of the tsarist regime and the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks, the country underwent transformations, as tragic as they were profound, which were later to change the face of the world. For a quarter of a century, the arts became an extraordinarily fruitful field of experiment. Whether conservative or modern, the different aesthetic approaches would overlap, coincide, or confront each other. With its almost sketch-like brevity, its expressive immediacy and its intimate character, the prelude mirrored its age by becoming the ideal vehicle of confession for composers plagued by doubt. The programme on this CD illustrates the development of this elliptical form in the period between 1905 and 1922, two crucial dates in Russian history".