Published Reviews
By James Harrington
American Record Guide
01-May-2009
Rachmaninoff was quite effusive in his support for the music of someone he considered a good friend: “Only Medtner has, from the beginning, published works that it would be hard for him to equal later in life.”…The Derzhavina set begins with Medtner’s Op. 1, an eight-piece set called Mood Pictures from 1897. Written by a 17-year-old, these are examples of a well-developed, mature compositional ability. They use a large vocabulary of romantic moods and styles and already place considerable technical difficulties on the pianist. These could have easily prompted the quote from Rachmaninoff. In all of my Medtner, this is the only recording of his Op. 1—and they are fabulous pieces, played exceptionally well by Derzhavina. So this disc is a must-have.
The Sonata Triade is an odd work consisting of three one-movement sonatas, the whole lasting 28 minutes…Derzhavina’s performance of this work compares well with the others, though it’s a little slower and a little less aggressive in the bigger virtuosic sections. But when it comes to projecting a beautiful legato melody, she is fully the equal of both Milne and Demidenko. Her Three Pieces, Op. 31 do not appear on any of my other recordings either. I found the middle ‘Marche Funebre’ quite unlike any other funeral march for the piano I have ever run into. Not really very march-like, but certainly funereal, its harmony and figurations have strong Eastern flavors, build to an imposing climax and then fade away.
The second disc is devoted to the first two sets of Forgotten Melodies (there are three). The first set, Op. 38, begins with the Sonata Reminiscenza and the second, Op. 39 ends with the Sonata Tragica…In between the two sonatas are 11 wonderful two-to-six-minute pieces…If you want to discover Medtner or just want him in smaller, less expensive doses, don’t hesitate to get…Derzhavina.
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