Raphael Epstein - Preludes - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The three Preludes ex-Opus 19 recorded here - a world premiere - as well as the three Preludes Op.1, date from 1924 and 1925 respectively, when Kabalevsky was just beginning his composition studies at the Moscow Conservatory. Although the style of these pieces does not have much in common with that of the Preludes Op.38, composed 18 years later, they nevertheless testify to a great sensitivity and the composer's preference for the small form. They also tell us about the fascination that Scriabin presumably had for Kabalevsky, which is especially noticeable in these youthful works.