Stanchinsky

The music of Alexei Vladimirovich Stanchinsky (1888-1914) is tortured, virtuosic, relentlessly intense and complex. There are echoes of Scriabin, Prokofiev and Mussorgsky, even Chopin, though he certainly had his own distinctive voice. And Daniel Blumenthal has done a masterly job of interpreting these extraordinary, sometimes rambling, sometimes confusingly brief works. Not a candidate for ‘Soothing Classics’, but for those who love Scriabin, a disc worth hearing. Jessica Duchen

Jessica Duchen

Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:33 pm

COMPOSERS: Stanchinsky
LABELS: Marco Polo
WORKS: Piano Sonata No. 1; Piano Sonata No. 2; Three Sketches; Twelve Sketches
PERFORMER: Daniel Blumenthal (piano)
CATALOGUE NO: 8.223424 DDD

The music of Alexei Vladimirovich Stanchinsky (1888-1914) is tortured, virtuosic, relentlessly intense and complex. There are echoes of Scriabin, Prokofiev and Mussorgsky, even Chopin, though he certainly had his own distinctive voice. And Daniel Blumenthal has done a masterly job of interpreting these extraordinary, sometimes rambling, sometimes confusingly brief works. Not a candidate for ‘Soothing Classics’, but for those who love Scriabin, a disc worth hearing. Jessica Duchen

Jessica Duchen

Journalist and Critic, BBC Music Magazine

Jessica Duchen studied music at Cambridge University and was the classical music correspondent for The Independent from 2004 to 2016. She has also written for The Guardian, The Observer, The Sunday Times, BBC Music Magazine and the JC, among others. Jessica Duchen has written librettos include numerous choral works and operas for the composer Roxanna Panufnik, including Silver Birch, commissioned by Garsington Opera and shortlisted for an International Opera Award in 2018. Two more works based on stories by Oscar Wilde were commissioned for Garsington’s Youth Company, The Happy Princess with composer Paul Fincham (2019) and The Selfish Giant with John Barber, which fell victim to lockdown, this has been postponed to 2021.

Stanchinsky

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