Credits:

Christopher Lyndon-Gee

Description:

The more I listen to Markevichs (19121983) works, the more I am awestruck by their brilliance. In this seventh volume as well, I am constantly amazed by his extraordinary talent. The first piece is a concerto he wrote at the age of 16. The piano lines, with their slightly mischievous quality, are neither Prokofiev nor Bartkthey are violent yet captivating. While this music may not appeal to those seeking beautiful melodies, the fact that a work possessing such terrifying dynamism sprang from the hands of a 16-year-old boy is truly astonishing. The cantata was commissioned by the Ballets Russes and is based on a text by Cocteau. Icarus is a reworking of The Flight of Icarus, which was included in Volume 3 (8.572153). Originally composed in 1932 for a Ballet Russe project and premiered the following year in 1933, Ravel discarded the pieceperhaps because he was dissatisfied with the resu