This first recording, Russian Impulse, is the successful conclusion of a musical exploration of 20th-century Russian music written for the piano. Rhythm and impulse are at the heart of all these compositions. Rachmaninov’s Variations on a Theme of Corelli, based on the baroque dance theme Folia, concludes with a burst of fireworks in a rhythmical explosion from which there is no escape. The leitmotif of triplets in Prokofiev’s sonata appears unceasingly as an impulsive hammering martial theme. In Kapustin’s Variations, one senses the pulse and the groove as if the player was improvising like a jazz musician. From start to finish, this pulsing playlist has a rhythmic melodic momentum.
“Music comes straight from the heart and talks only to the heart; it is Love! Music is the sister of Poetry and her mother is Sorrow!” Rachmaninov, 1932
At the end of the 19th century, a generation of young talented composers emerged in Russia, who were deeply influenced by the Romantic Movement. Rachmaninov and Prokofiev were part of this movement called the Russian School; however, leaving aside academic influences, each was able to develop his own individual style.