Bortkiewicz: Piano Works

This CD is dedicated to the music of Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877-1952), one of the most unjustly overlooked composers. During his life, Bortkiewicz was oppressed and persecuted by both Soviet and Nazi regimes. A brilliant pianist and composer, he was also a refugee and a survivor of two world wars and a civil war. The style of Bortkiewicz’s music derives from the great Romantic composers of the 19th century. He adopted Liszt’s rich and brilliant piano writing, Chopin’s lyricism and humanness, imagery of Schumann’s character pieces, Wagner’s imaginative harmony. The trademark of Bortkiewicz’s music is his captivating poetic melodies. This new recording contains his Crimean Sketches and a selection of Etudes, Preludes and other Character Pieces. Pavel Gintov graduated with honors from the Moscow State Conservatory, where he was a student of Lev Naumov and Daniil Kopylov. He holds a Doctor of Musical Art degree from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where he studied with Nina Svetlanova. First‑Prize winner of the Takamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan he played in Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie, Teatro Verdi in Milan and many other important venues. 00:00:00 Esquisses de crimée, Op. 8: I. The Rocks of Uch-Kosh 00:06:33 Esquisses de crimée, Op. 8: II. Caprices of the Sea 00:09:47 Esquisses de crimée, Op. 8: III. Oriental Idyll 00:13:30 Esquisses de crimée, Op. 8: IV. Chaos 00:15:56 Minuit, Op. 5: I. Andante con moto 00:21:23 Minuit, Op. 5: II. Allegro quasi presto 00:27:08 Lyrica Nova, Op. 59: I. Con moto affetuoso 00:30:34 Lyrica Nova, Op. 59: II. Andantino 00:33:26 Lyrica Nova, Op. 59: III. Andantino 00:36:12 Lyrica Nova, Op. 59: IV. Con slancio 00:37:32 Lamentation and Consolation, Op. 17: I. Lamentation in C-Sharp Minor 00:40:52 Lamentation and Consolation, Op. 17: II. Consolation in D-Flat Major 00:45:36 Etude No. 6 in G-Sharp Minor, Op. 15 00:49:19 Etude No. 10 in E Minor, Op. 15 00:50:49 Prelude No. 2 in B Minor, Op. 40 00:53:01 Prelude No. 4 in F-Sharp Major, Op. 40 00:55:14 Prelude No. 7 in E Major, Op. 40 00:56:17 Etude No. 3 in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 29 00:57:54 Etude No. 6 in E-Flat Major, Op. 29 00:59:42 Consolation No. 8 in E-Flat Major, Op. 17