The music of Leopold Godowsky has the reputation of being ostentatious and virtuosic to the point of being nearly unplayable. In some instances, such as with his reworkings of Chopin etudes, that reputation is grounded in fact. Yet, in volume five of his survey of Godowsky's solo piano works, Konstantin Scherbakov demonstrates that there are other aspects to Godowsky's music that are not just meant to challenge the performer and aurally impress the listener. The massive Sonata in E minor is in five movements, very much in a ...
Read More
The music of Leopold Godowsky has the reputation of being ostentatious and virtuosic to the point of being nearly unplayable. In some instances, such as with his reworkings of Chopin etudes, that reputation is grounded in fact. Yet, in volume five of his survey of Godowsky's solo piano works, Konstantin Scherbakov demonstrates that there are other aspects to Godowsky's music that are not just meant to challenge the performer and aurally impress the listener. The massive Sonata in E minor is in five movements, very much in a late Romantic style, full of songful melodies and rich development of themes. Although it dates from 1910-1911, when Godowsky was 40, it still has something of a youthful passion, moodiness, and optimism in it that Scherbakov brings out wonderfully in his easy confidence. And despite the grand scale of the work and the extroverted character of some of Godowsky's other music, Scherbakov also manages to make the sonata feel inviting and personal, even intimate and whimsical at times....
Read Less