Composer: Leo Ornstein
Performer: Arsentiy Kharitonov
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Toccata
Catalogue: TOCC0141
Release: 2012
Size: 231 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
4 Impromptus
01. No. 1. Moderato
02. No. 2. Epitaph: Moderato espressivo
03. No. 3. An Interlude: Andante
04. No. 4. A Bit of Nostalgia: Moderato
Piano Sonata No. 4
05. I. Moderato con moto
06. II. Semplice
07. III. Lento
08. IV. Vivo
In the Country
09. I. The Gypsy Lament: Moderato con moto
10. II. The Old Dungeon: Andante misterioso
11. III. A Fairy Dance: Tempo rubato
12. IV. The Cathedral Bells and the Choir: Moderato non troppo
13. V. The Merry-Go-Round: Vivo e ritmico
Cossack Impressions, Op. 14
14. I. Evening Song: Maestoso
15. II. Maidens at the Fountain: Andante comodo rubato
16. III. Mazurka: Con vivo
17. IV. Moonlight in the Mountains: Andante amabile
18. V. Grief: Moderato con tristezza
19. VI. The Waltz: Tempo di valse
20. VII. The Nocturne: Lento
21. VIII. At Dawn: Impazientemente
22. IX. The Dance: Allegretto con spirito
23. X. The Love Song: Andante con sentimento
24. XI. The March: Tempo alla marcia
25. XII. Meditation: Languido
26. XIII. At the Festival: Allegro molto
The Russian-born American composer Leo Ornstein (1893–2002) lived long enough – an astonishing 109 years – to see his music both fall into and re-emerge from obscurity.
His earliest surviving work dates from around 1905; his last was composed in 1990. Not surprisingly, his music embraces a range of styles, ranging on this first CD from the atmospheric impressionism of the Four Impromptus via the fiery virtuosity of the Fourth Piano Sonata to the Rachmaninov-like romanticism of the Cossack Impressions and In the Country.
This CD marks the first recording of a major talent: Arsentiy Kharitonov, born in St Petersburg and now US-based. This is the first of a series of CDs of Ornstein’s piano music that he will be recording for Toccata Classics.