Kabalevsky was an interesting figure in that he was very active as a composer of large-scale concert works, but was also extremely active in the musical education of Russia's children, much more so than virtually all of his many well-known contemporaries. The best way to contribute to this type of musical education is to ensure that young musicians have plenty of accessible repertoire. To that end, Kabalevsky wrote a great many works specifically for student players. This Naxos album features two of them: the Third Piano ...
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Kabalevsky was an interesting figure in that he was very active as a composer of large-scale concert works, but was also extremely active in the musical education of Russia's children, much more so than virtually all of his many well-known contemporaries. The best way to contribute to this type of musical education is to ensure that young musicians have plenty of accessible repertoire. To that end, Kabalevsky wrote a great many works specifically for student players. This Naxos album features two of them: the Third Piano Concerto and the Rhapsody for Piano and Orchestra on the Theme of the Song "School Years." While any student would be quite fortunate to have such works at his/her disposal, they are most definitely student works, and they sound like it. Technical bravura is kept to a minimum and musical interpretation needn't go much further than making a march exciting. Still, fans of the composer will welcome this additional insight into his output. The album also contains another oddity of the...
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