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NEW • NOUVEAUTE • NEUHEIT 09/07-(5) Title: Nikolaj Metner (1880-1951) Sonata op. 25, 2 (1911) Canzona matinata op. 39, 4 Sonata tragica op. 39, 5 Märchen etc. Artist: Severin von Eckardstein, piano 1 CD Order No.: MDG 604 1465-2 UPC-Code: Compositional Priority Storyteller’s Talent A hundred years ago Nikolaj Metner was regarded together with Sergei Rachmaninov and Alexander Scriabin as one of the greatest hopes of Russian music. He concluded his study of piano with a gold medal but declined to embark on a concert career in order to dedicate himself exclusively to composition. Severin von Eckhardstein’s career also got off to a dazzling start with the Grand Prix International Reine Elisabeth and the Echo Klassik Prize in 2003. On this disc he presents a selection of piano compositions by Metner. The”Night Wind” sonata based on a poem and forming a wondrously cohesive whole reveals an enormous storytelling talent – an element also found in the short “Tale.” Metner’s late-romantic sound color is reminiscent of Rachmaninov, who was a close friend of his, but he also finds his way to his own unique and very personal style. Changing Roles Although Metner was an autodidact as a composer, he was honored on repeated occasions for his contributions in this field. The cataclysmic upheavals of the October Revolution, however, caused another career change. Metner had to leave Russia for Western Europe, and later he was denied return entry. He produced rolls for Welte-Mignon and during the thirties he made recordings for Columbia, which regarded them merely as “test pressings” and never released them. Beginning in 1936 he regularly collaborated with EMI, probably only because of substantial support from a certain maharajah! Thrilling Travels In an extended essay Severin von Eckhardstein offers insights into his own personal selection of works. He has long felt very much at home at the sonorous Steinway D concert grand piano built in 1901 and thus made to order for Metner’s music. He is “a narrator at the piano, a pianist who takes listeners along with him on thrilling musical journeys” (Ruhr Nachrichten), “unpretentious, brilliant, and courageous” (Piano News), and “a true shaper, not a mere dazzler, not a thunderer” (Stereo). Olivier Messiaen: La rousserolle effarvatte Leos Janacek: Piano Sonata 1.X.1905 Sergey Prokofieff: Sonata No. 8 MDG 604 1141-2 Alexander Skrjabin Piano Sonatas No. 3 + 8 Préludes op. 11 MDG 604 1318-2 DABRINGHAUS UND GRIMM AUDIOVISION GMBH • BACHSTRASSE 35 • D-32756 DETMOLD TEL.: ++49-(0)5231-93890 • FAX.: ++49-(0)5231-26186