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The Russian Piano School, Slavic piano music in general, the Soviet legacy and the influence of Chopin with Nicholas Walker.
This advanced course explores the rich and varied repertoire of Russian, Soviet and Slavic music in general, with reference to the substantial influence of Chopin.
Apart from the well-known Russian repertoire – Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, Prokofiev, etc – there are a host of lesser known composers, some of them famous names, who have contributed really beautiful and significant works to the repertoire, such as Balakirev, Glinka, Dubuque, Dargomyzhky, Borodin, Mussorgsky, Arensky, Lyadov, Gedike, as well as important non-Russian Salvic composers, such as Bortkiewicz, Gliere, Lysenko, Smetana, Szymanowski, Silvestrov. One might also include composers who were born in the Imperial Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, such as Curlionis, Karganov, Weinberg, Khachaturian and a host of others.
Normally composers of this school never write one note where twenty-five thousand will do, nevertheless there is an enormous amount of music that is not nearly so difficult, yet of the highest quality. Much of this is out of print, however there is a great deal available on IMSLP or https://notes.tarakanov.net/ (this website is in Russian, but there is a composer search in English.
Nicholas will happily advise on the huge value of simplifications in enabling the player to understand and enjoy the meaning of the music, even before they have mastered the technical difficulties, as well as fingering, pedalling or whatever helps you to find the music easier to play.
You are welcome to play short pieces or, if you want, a larger work, though you might use up one of your 30 minute slots that way, but that’s fine: some people just need to play a work through.
