Favourite Medtner piece?

[Regulus Medtner]

What's your favourite Medtner piece? And how do you think his concerti compare with others? I personally believe they, at least, should belong to the core repertoire...

[Schumann Lover]

I totally agree with you. The three piano concerti are no weaker than the standard Russian romantic concerti.

My favourite Medtner:

Night Wind Sonata
Sonata Reminiscenza
Sonata Tragica (with Canzona matinata, of course)

[SteinwayTony]

I totally agree with you. The three piano concerti are no weaker than the standard Russian romantic concerti.

My favourite Medtner:

Night Wind Sonata
Sonata Reminiscenza
Sonata Tragica (with Canzona matinata, of course)

Did you intend to phrase it the way you did?

It sounds as if you consider all Russian concerti weak.  And if that were true, I just might have to kill you.

 

[Schumann Lover]

sorry, i guess i did phrase it wrong... i didn't intend it to come off like that, but you knew that i meant they are just as strong as the others.

Did you intend to phrase it the way you did?

It sounds as if you consider all Russian concerti weak. And if that were true, I just might have to kill you.

 

[Troldhaugen]

My favourites are....
Sonata in G minor, Op. 22
Sonata Reminiscenza
Sonata Tragica
Sonata Minacciosa

and last, but not least his Fairy Tales 
 

[r.schaefer]

Night Wind!

[zz]

night wind sonata of course.
but I seriously think Medtner made the two movements too long.
its tirening sometimes to listen 25 minutes to one single movement.
it could easily be cut in several pieces, I sometimes do so by pressing pause
on my cd player at sertain points.

[Radix]

Personally, I'm a huge fan of the Sonata-Skazka in C minor (Opus 25, No. 1).  I also love the Sonata-Ballada in F-sharp.  And the Sonata-Tragica.  And the "Night Wind" sonata.  And the Sonata Minacciosa.

You know what?  I love all of Medtner's sonatas, and plan on learning the music to all of them.

[Motrax]

I find that his concertos are rather long-winded - the same themes are reiterated in rather uninventive ways. He certainly has written many beautiful and memorable melodies in the concerti, yet they give me the feeling that they could drop a few dozen measures and still produce the same musical idea.

I find his later sonatas to be good (I'm afraid I don't like Night Wind at all), and I like all of opus 38, which includes a number of shorter works after the Sonata-Reminiscenza. Some of his Fairy Tales are very good, but not all of them.

I would certainly not put Medtner in the ranks of Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev, but his music certainly deserves more credit than it gets.

[vassilij]

Medtner is really wonderfull... dreaming, obscure, so russian. Wind, ancient tales, lost memories of ancient words. And such love for life, and music, and russian heart.
Within Rachmaninov and Scrjabin... WOW!!

So:

Concerto n. 1, op. 33 (actually I obviously prefer Rachmaninov's - 3° and 2°/4° at the same)
which I feel near - as intimate perception - non for the music so far to Scrjabin's op. 20 one (althoguht I think the latter is more inspired)

For what concerns the sonatas...

1) Sonata op. 22 (what a form! epic! I love the coda)
Sonata riminiscenza op. 38, n. 1 (a miracle! introduction and coda are superb)
Sonata tragica op. 39, n. 5 (impetuos, a tempest) with the wonderful Canzona matinata

2) Fairy-tale sonata op. 25, n. 1 (dreaming... what an opening theme! magic)
Sonata-idylle op. 56 (gorgeus the second movement)
Sonata elégie op. 11, n. 2 (from the "triade": very charming "little" piece)

Some pieces from the wonderful cycles of the Forgotten melodies (op. 38, 39 & 40):

Danza graziosa,
Danza jubilosa,
Canzona matinata,
Canzona serenata,
Alla riminiscenza,
and so on...

And last but not least - the tales...
above all:

Tale op. 8, n. 1 (obscure)
Tale op. 8, n. 2 (epic! medieval!)
Tale op. 14, n. 1 - Ophelia's song (what a sadness)
Tale op. 20, n. 1 (such inspired)
Tale op. 26, n. 3 (truly tender)
Tale op. 42, n. 1 - russian folktale (folklore and rythm)
Tale op. 42, n. 2 - phrygian mode (dreaming)
Tale op. 51, n. 1 (what opening phrase!)
Tale op. 51, n. 3 (so freshly - Horowitz loved it)

I like to mention (I see that a lot of people here appreciate medtner, but I hear only about piano works) the violin sonatas!!

The 2° and the 3° are truly WONDERFUL as the last piano quintett (op. post.) - a gem!

[fnork]

I'm doing the piano quintet in a chamber music festival in a few weeks - I love that piece! One of his best, IMO.