Complete Piano Music, Volume 2

Description

This precious rediscovery of the piano music of Cesar Cui (1835-1918) began with a double CD performed by Marco Rapetti (PCL10211), presenting the composer's early works, from 1877 to 1888. Born in Vilnius, capital of present-day Lithuania, Cui began learning the piano at a very young age, first from his older sister. His first and last compositions were written for piano, and he composed 29 opuses for this instrument (his total catalog comprises 106 opuses). Australian pianist Paul Rickard-Ford now continues the project with a chronological overview ranging from the Four Pieces Op.22 of 1883 to the Theme and Variations Op.61 of 1901. Dedicated respectively to Theodore Leschitzky and Josef Hofmann, these pieces bear witness to the admiration Cui commanded in his time, even though he is today generally considered the forgotten member of the "Mighty Handful" group of Russian composers.