Martin Oei: Reis door de Russische pianoschool van Balakirev tot Stravinsky

Scriabin, Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev

The recital opens with a number of etudes by Scriabin, in which the young composer lets his romantic heart speak. Rachmaninoff follows with a selection from his beloved Preludes Opus 23. Then, modern energy bursts forth with Prokofiev's Seventh Sonata , 'Stalingrad'. This masterpiece, composed in the midst of the Second World War, is a raw rhythmic monument and a soundscape of extreme times; a ruthless artistic commentary on conflict and struggle.

Balakirev and Stravinsky

After the intermission, Martin opens with Mili Balakirev’s Orientalist piano fantasy Islamey , followed by the Impressionist Poèmes, Op. 32 by Scriabin: floating, dreamlike miniatures full of color and mysticism. The journey ends with Stravinsky. As an emigrant in Paris, he made the Russian folklore of his ballet Petrushka world-famous. His piano version is a virtuoso translation of folk theater: colorful, rhythmic, and full of bravura. The story of the doll with a soul—about love, jealousy, and rebelliousness—is universal, but the music is pure Russian theater magic.