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Russian Treasures

Eminent Belgian pianist André De Groote join acclaimed Russian pianist Irena kofman in the selection of four-hand piano music expressing multiple facets of the Russian spirit. It has too often been said that the Russian soul is on brooding melancholy, but the near-obsession with bells found in the works of such geniuses as Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov demonstrates otherwise. The finale (Slava!) of Rachmaninov's Six Pieces op. 11 is an ideal example of this “bell music,” which suggest that Russian music is profoundly religious in origin and that the profane music had even less influence in Russia than in the west. In contract, Glinka's captivating Capriccio champion a more cosmopolitan use of the immense riches of Russian folk music, also evident in Arenky's Six Pieces for Children. Arensky's innate elegance does not, however, preclude his composition of a fugues-like finale based on a Russian folk tune.