THE COMPLETE PIANO SONATAS
SERIES II
NIKOLAI MEDTNER
“For several generations of performers and audiences, Medtner has lain overlooked
somewhere between the genius of Rachmaninoff and Scriabin and the juggernaut of
Prokofiev's ‘modernist’ masterpieces. But he is not just a quintessential Russian com-
poser; he is a master for all, and now perhaps his time has come. (From Eugene
Istomin's Introduction to the Dover edition)
Faced with decades of shifting styles, compositional vogues and musical trends that
characterized tile early 20th century, composer—pianist Nikolai Medtner (1880—1951)
remained faithful to the standard of clarity of purpose he learned from a lifetime of
active performance of the classical masters. Above all, he considered himself
Beethoven’s student in spirit, concerning himself deeply with the essence of theme,
melody, form and rhythm, and with the principal meanings and “unwritten law’s that are
the foundation of musical language.” In later years, Alexander Glazunov called Medtner
“an artist guarding the eternal laws of art.”
Nikolai Medtner’s fourteen piano sonatas, composed over more than three decades, are
landmarks of the modern piano literature—as organic and uncompromising as the
Beethoven models, as fanciful and exploratory as Scriabin’s. Series II of Dover’s two—part
edition includes the last seven sonatas:
- Sonate— Ballade, Op. 27
- Sonata in A Minor, Op. 30
- Sonata—Reminiscenza, Op. 38, No. 1
- Sonata tragica, Op. 39, No. 5
- Sonata romantica, Op. 53, No. 1
- Sonata minacciosa, Op. 53, No. 2
- Sonate-Idylle, Op. 56
. . . and the following related works: “Canzona matinata,”
“Canzona serenata” and “Alla Reminiscernza”
Original Dover (1998) compilation of seven piano sonatas and three related works orig-
inally published in early authoritative editions. Contents. Biography. Preface by Eugene
Istomin. Performance Notes by Geoffrey Tozer. Editorial Note by Marc-André
Hamelin. Translations by Robert Rimm. 256pp. 9 x 12. Paperbound.
ALSO AVAILABLE
COMPLETE PIANO SONATAS, Sergei Prokofiev. 8 3/8 x 11 1/4 . 25689-8 Pa. $12.95
Free Dover Music Catalog (59057-7) available upon request.
A DOVER EDITION DESIGNED FOR YEARS OF USE!
We have made every effort to make this the best book possible. Our paper is opaque.
with minimal show-through; it will not discolor or become brittle with age. Pages are
sewn in signatures, in the method traditionally used for the best books, and will not drop
out. Books open flat for easy reference. The binding will not crack or split. This is a per-
manent book.
ISBN 0-486-29979-1
$14.95 IN USA