Medtner - Piano Quintet - N. Medtner / Aeolian Quartet (rec. 1949)

Nikolai Medtner - Piano Quintet, op.posth (1904-48)
00:00. I. Molto placido
08:54. II. Andantino con moto
13:58. III. Finale. Allegro vivace
Performed by author & Aeolian Quartet: Alfred Cave (violin), Leonard Dight (violin), Watson Forbes (viola), John Moore (cello)
Recorded in 1949

[@teodorb.p.composer]

22:40 - one of the most beautifull moment in music!

[@SimonPiano42]

Interesting recording to have to see how Medtner might have wanted this to be played.
Interesting that the recording exists at all considering the piece was not published during Medtner's lifetime. (op. posth.)
There's a very interesting blog about rehearsing this quintet called "Diary of a Medtner Piano Quintet" from Jeremy Denk, a pianist who unfortunately did not like the piece at all.
There's also a very interesting rebuttal of Denk's remarks by Steven Isserlis in the comment section of the blog, a (famous) cellist who was a part of that quintet. Isserlis wanted "to point out that there IS another side to this view of the Medtner Quintet. There are those of us who truly love it: yes, it is on a huge scale, and yes, its spirit is at times naive; but it is also full of glorious melodies (especially touching, perhaps, for those of us who love the music of the Russian Orthodox Church) and it is completely, touchingly and fervently sincere. The form may be experimental, but it works on its own terms. It’s not a piece for cynics - but is that a criticism?"
I've written a comment linking to the blog before, but unfortunately on editing the link which hat gotten outdated, my comment was deleted for posting a link to an external site. So please just search "Diary of a Medtner Piano Quintet", TH-cam is not letting me share links.

[@SimonPiano42]

(I'm a bit sad the youtube bot deleted my old comment which was about 5 years old or so, but what can you do.)

[@tabby7189]

Thanks for sharing this! I must say I was somewhat disappointed with the level of openness on both sides of that argument, but I also haven't been in a chamber ensemble with that high of stakes so there's something to be said for what several days stuck together will do to people.

[@medtner1970]

Great share, Medtner is always the best interpreter of his music. Sometimes, like in the case of Arabesque op.7 n.2 it is almost impossible to understand his intentions from the score without the lead of his own playing. Thanks again!

[@beth_levin_piano]

Wonderful!

[@andrewharrison8975]

Wow, where did this come from? By the way the date of Medtners’s death as noted here( 1948) is wrong, otherwise he would have recorded this piece posthumously!

[@ClassicalRaritiesChannel]

Privately digitized tape. 1904-1948 are the composition years.