BORIS BEREZOVSKY PIANO RECITAL Presented by Liszt Academy

Boris Berezovsky’s recital could reasonably be subtitled ‘Extracts from the History of Russian Music’. The chronicle begins with Mily Balakirev, founder and intellectual leader of ‘The Five’. Several of his smaller pieces are followed by his most popular work to this day, the ‘oriental fantasia’ Islamey. We are then introduced to Anatoly Lyadov, known as a composer of works inspired by fairy tales; this recital features his shorter salon pieces. The first part of the programme rounds off with Rachmaninov’s preludes series. After the break, we enjoy six etudes and the single-movement Sonata No. 5 by Scriabin, who was born just one year before Rachmaninov yet had a far shorter life – although his career was arguably more dramatic. The Scriabin sonata marks a watershed in his oeuvre: his music had still not split away from traditional tonality – it is keyed in F-sharp major – but there are hints of something new within. The concert closes with Petrushka written by a youthful Stravinsky, who remained far from the concepts of Scriabin. Debuting to huge acclaim in Paris in 1911, the piece is a sort of cross-section of a ballet: after passing through an introductory scene, we immediately find ourselves in the Russian dance.