Although this Naxos album gives top billing to the violin sonata of Sergey Taneyev and to violinist Ivan Peshkov, the disc is really more about Taneyev's brilliant solo piano music writing and the equally dynamic performance given by pianist Olga Solovieva. Taneyev was a virtuoso pianist in his own right, having given the Moscow premiere of Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto and all subsequent solo and chamber works using the piano, yet he wrote relatively few solo pieces for his own instrument. The ones he did write are ...
Read More
Although this Naxos album gives top billing to the violin sonata of Sergey Taneyev and to violinist Ivan Peshkov, the disc is really more about Taneyev's brilliant solo piano music writing and the equally dynamic performance given by pianist Olga Solovieva. Taneyev was a virtuoso pianist in his own right, having given the Moscow premiere of Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto and all subsequent solo and chamber works using the piano, yet he wrote relatively few solo pieces for his own instrument. The ones he did write are sparkling, underappreciated gems of the repertoire. On this program is a set of five fiery Scherzo, a touching Elegy, a masterfully crafted Theme & Variation set, a virtuosic Prelude and Fugue, and other satisfying shorts. Solovieva brings every bit of the necessary virtuosic technique and musical sophistication needed to elevate Taneyev's works to their deserved status. Her voicing is impeccably clear with a wonderfully minimal use of the pedal, and she plays with power and...
Read Less
