Faced with decades of shifting styles and music trends that characterized the early decades of the twentieth centuries, Nikolai Medtner remained faithful to the classical masters' roots. This two-volume series of Medtner's complete sonatas includes a Preface by Eugene Istomin, Performance Notes by Geoffrey Tozer, and an Editorial Note by Marc-Andre Hamelin. A must for pianists seeking alternatives to the core group of "standard" sonatas of this century, these works range from intermediate to very difficult.
Series I features Sonata in F Minor, Op. 5; Sonatas Nos. 2, 3, and 4 of "Sonatentriade, " Op. 11; and three others. Series II comprises the Russian composer's final seven sonatas: Sonate-Ballade, Op. 27; Sonata in A Minor, Op. 30; Sonata-Reminiscenza, Op. 38, No. 1; Sonata tragica, Op. 39, No. 5; Sonata romantica, Op. 53, No 1; Sonata minacciosa, Op. 53, No. 2; and Sonate-Idylle, Op. 56. A bonus selection of three melodies includes "Canzona matinata," "Canzona seranata," and "Alla Reminiscenza."