Medtner - Piano Music

Nikolay Medtner

The Russian composer and pianist Nikolai Medtner (1880-1951) studied piano at the Moscow Conservatory but was largely self-taught as a composer. He gradually devoted more and more time to composition, regarding his concert appearances as showcases for his own music. By the 1910s Medtner had built up a considerable following in Russia, but he and his wife suffered during the civil war that followed the Revolution. They moved to the West and tried to start a new life, first in Berlin and then in Paris. Medtner failed to make an impression on the critics there, probably because of his rather conservative musical tastes. Audiences in England and USA, where he was encouraged to go by his great friend Rachmaninov, proved more enthusiastic and Medtner lived his last years in London. He was able to make some recordings of his piano music and songs with help from the newly formed Medtner Society, supported by the Maharajah of Mysore. Medtner´s piano music is often complex and demanding, combining Russian romanticism with the Western classical tradition, Beethoven in particular. His output includes a few pieces of chamber music, over a hundred songs, and a large quantity of piano music, including fourteen sonatas, three concertos and thirty-eight small pieces, Skazki. Medtner was long overlooked, but has recently attracted more and more interest.

Medtner Piano Sheet Music

for digital devices or to download & print

Total pieces by Medtner: 2