Search - Nikolay Medtner, Geoffrey Tozer :: Medtner: Piano Sonatas & Forgotten Melodies

Good introduction to wonderful music, but...

Michael Steinberg | Rochester, NY USA | 05/14/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These marvellous works ought to be in many pianists' repertories; as it is, they mostly get played and recorded by Medtner specialists. Tozer has been recording all of the solo works and much else, and his Chandos set is substantially cheaper than the much-praised Hamelin box on Hyperion. For my money it's marginally better. Tozer can be prosaic, and he simply doesn't have Hamelin's chops (though who does?) But Hamelin is frustratingly uneven; he ruins the lovely second theme in the vernal Op. 11 No. 1, and rushes through the great Op. 22 sonata so that its ironies have little impact. If you can get only one of the sets, I think Tozer gives a better overall impression of Medtner's accomplishment. It's a substantial body of work which deserves to be known by everyone who loves music. Tozer's set also contains more music, though the Op. 40 "Forgotten melodies" are probably the least striking of the three sets. And the Chandos sound is significantly richer and more spacious than the cramped, harsh acoustic of the Hyperion set."

Great set!

Gerrit Spriet | Belgium | 12/22/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Tozer and Hamelin sort of match each other on their feeling for Medtner, but Tozer has this refinement, this elegance, this flowing poetry to the music with suits Medtner perfect. THe sound on these cd's is also greatly produced. Tozer has a depth in understanding and in phrasation that is simply incredibly, and I love to listen ofte to these cd's that never tire, make untransparent slavic music very transparent and at the same time do not loose the deeper sentiments in it.

Buy it if you like Medtner!"