Marco Rapetti - Cui: Complete Piano Music, Vol. 1 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

First recordings of Romantic-era piano miniatures by an overlooked figure among the InchNew Russian SchoolInch of composers known as InchThe Mighty Handful.InchInchIrretrievably forgotten,Inch wrote musicologist Richard Taruskin of César Cui (1835-1918). Long regarded as a dilettante, Cui combined a distinguished military career-as an engineer, expert in fortifications, and Moscow professor-with prolific writing as one of Russia's most formidable music critics. He was a crucial advocate for the nationalist ideals of Glinka and Mussorgsky, even as his own music revealed a more cosmopolitan voice, steeped in the lyricism of Chopin and Schumann.In this first volume of Cui's complete piano works, pianist Marco Rapetti presents music composed between 1877 and 1888, from the Trois morceaux, Op. 8, to the Trois mouvements de valse, Op. 41. The recording includes charming sets of mazurkas and serenades, as well as two major cycles the Suite, Op. 21-dedicated to Franz Liszt-and the Pièces caractéristiques, Op. 40, dedicated to the Count and Countess de Mercy-Argenteau, tireless champions of Cui's music in Western Europe.Rapetti, acclaimed for his rediscovery of neglected Russian piano repertoire, has previously recorded Borodin and Lyadov for Brilliant Classics. His performances, described by Fanfare magazine as showing Inchperfect unanimity and a verve and élan that bring out all the vividness of the orchestral works,Inch affirm his standing as a pianist uniquely suited to illuminate Cui's lyrical, poetic world.