Customer Ratings & Reviews

The Russian pianist GeNIA is one of the outstanding interpreters of modern classical music, having released several CDs on the aptly named Nonclassical label founded by iconoclastic composer Gabriel Prokofiev (who seems to have inherited some creative mojo from his famous grandfather Sergei). “Piano Book No. 1” is GeNIA’s first recording devoted to Prokofiev’s solo piano works, which channel traditional impulses through a spiky modernism. Impressionistic pieces like Rockaby, Glass Swing and Side Dance contrast with more aggressive, melodically astringent works like Tough Moves. Many of the pieces start out with simple, recurring motifs that gradually become complicated in interesting ways. GeNIA effectively bridges the music’s conventional and unconventional elements in this mood mosaic of an album. Her superb technical command foregrounds the music’s formal underpinnings; her emotional capacity highlights its heart.