Nikolay Karlovich Medtner was Moscow born-and bred, although his ancestry was German. He received his first piano lessons from his mother, and at the age of twelve was accepted into the Moscow Conservatory. Sergey Taneyev, his counterpoint teacher, observed the boy’s early fascination for complex polyphonic textures (always a notable Medtnerian feature) and famously remarked that he was “born with the Sonata Form coursing through his veins”.
Medtner graduated in 1900 with the Conservatory’s highest honour, a Gold Medal for piano, and although destined for a career as a concert pianist, composition was his true calling. Medtner continued performing throughout his life, but with rare exceptions – he was a celebrated interpreter of Beethoven – he played only his own works in public.
Sergey Rachmaninov became a staunch supporter and loyal friend, and was largely responsible for introducing his music to audiences throughout Russia and abroad. Rachmaninov considered Medtner “the greatest composer of our time”, and dedicated his Fourth Piano Concerto to him.
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