FELIX BLUMENFELDComplete Preludes & Impromptus

Philip Thomson, Pianist

Twenty-Four Preludes, Opus 17 (1892) 49:00I. C Major (Andante religioso) 1:51II. A minor (Allegro agitato) 1:51III. G minor (Allegretto) 0:38IV. E minor (Andante) 3:13V. D Major (Allegretto) 2:06VI. B minor (Allegro molto) 1:19VII. A Major (Allegro vivo) 2:05VIII. F sharp minor (Allegro vivo) 1:16IX. E Major (Maestoso) 1:40X. C sharp minor (Andante) 3:02XI. B Major (Andante con moto) 2:41XII. G sharp minor (Presto) 1:39XIII. F sharp Major (Andantino) 2:27XIV. E flat minor (Andante maestoso e lugubre) 3:02XV. D flat Major (Allegro non tanto) 2:56XVI. B flat minor (Adagio) 3:12XVII. A flat Major ( Allegro) 1:38XVIII. F minor (“Memento mori”) (Andante) 2:35XIX. E flat Major (Andante) 2:39XX. C minor (Allegro furioso) 1:0320

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XXI. B flat Major (Andante tranquillo) 2:13XXII. G minor (Allegro) 1:38XXIII. F Major (Allegro) 1:06XXIV. D minor (Presto) 1:10

Two Impromptus, Opus 13 (1890) 7:09I. A flat Major (Allegro) 5:10II. G flat Major (Andante, molto espressivo e legato) 1:59

Impromptu in B Major, Opus 28 (1898)Allegro non tanto 2:46

Four Preludes, Opus 12 (1890) 5:41I. G Major (Allegro) 1:12II. E Major (Andantino) 1:48III. C sharp Major (Allegretto) 1:26IV. D Major (Moderato) 1:15

Two Impromptus, Opus 45 (1912) 6:48I. F sharp minor (Allegretto) 3:37II. A flat Major (Allegro) 3:11

Valse-Impromptu in A flat Major, Opus 16 (1891)Vivo - Tempo di Valsero 3:26

Total Playing Time : 75:07

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WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING

Felix Mikhailovich Blumenfeld (1863-1931)A versatile and gifted musician, Felix Blumenfeld is best known to posterity as a teacher. He

was the mentor of Simon Barere, Maria Grinberg, Heinrich Neuhaus, Alexander Gauk, DmitryTiomkin, and Vladimir Horowitz. Felix Blumenfeld was born in Kovalyovka, a small town inSouth Ukraine on 19 April 1863. His father taught French and music at the local school and hismother, born Szymanowski, came from an old and respected artistic family. Felix was the fourthchild in the family. Felix Blumenfeld’s older brothers were also accomplished pianists and com-posers: Sigismund Mikhailovich Blumenfeld (1852-1920) and Stanislav Mikhailovich Blumenfeld(1850-1897), while his sister, Olga Mikhailovna (1859-c.1940), a fine pianist in her own right,married Gustav Neuhaus (1847-1938). Their son, Heinrich Neuhaus (1888-1964) was one of thegreatest Russian piano teachers of all time.

Felix’s first music teachers were his brother, Stanislav, and his brother-in-law, Gustav Neuhaus.He studied with them for about three years, eventually enrolling at the local polytechnic institute.During the summer of 1881 Felix met for the first time Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov who was vaca-tioning in Crimea. This meeting was a watershed event in Felix’s life — the musical encounterwith Rimsky-Korsakov convinced Blumenfeld that he should pursue a musical career. That fall heentered the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where his teachers included F.F. Stein (piano) and NikolaiRimsky-Korsakov (composition). After graduating from the Conservatory in 1885, Blumenfeldwas immediately retained there as a piano teacher. From 1918-1922 he was director of theLysenko Music-Drama Institute in Kiev, and from 1922 until his death, professor at the MoscowConservatory. From 1895-1911 he conducted the Marinsky Theater in St. Petersburg. In 1908 hetook the opera company on a tour of France, with great success conducting Mussorgsky’s BorisGodunov. As a pianist, Blumenfeld continued in the grand tradition of Anton Rubinstein. His per-formances were marked by a lyrical, singing tone, and colorful virtuosity. He premiered most ofthe new compositions for piano by Arensky, Glazunov, and Liadov in the 1890s. Blumenfeld fre-quently appeared in chamber concerts and as accompanist to legendary bass, Fyodor Chaliapin.He became one of the most important conductors in Russia, premiering Rimsky-Korsakov’s TheLegend of the Invisible City of Kitezh and directing the first Russian performances of Scriabin’sDivine Poem and Poem of Ecstasy. When he died in Moscow on 21 January 1931, the musicaljournals and newspapers of his country lamented the loss. One colleague wrote: “Blumenfeldwas a pianist, composer, conductor, and an amazing teacher. He was also a person of enormousculture, unbounded mind, and limitless senses.... The arts have lost one of its greatest

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minds and creative spirits.”Blumenfeld composed his entire

life. His earliest works date from hisstudent years at the St. PetersburgConservatory. Over fifty opus num-bers comprise his musical output.These include thirty-four songs, onesymphony, a mazurka for orchestra,and an Allegro de Concert for pianoand orchestra, several chamber works(including a string quartet) andmany piano pieces. The earliest pub-lished compositions on this recital byPhilip Thomson are the FourPreludes, Opus 12 (1890). These aregraceful miniatures, unpretentiousand elegant, brief and naive. Thesecharacteristics are precisely the sourceof their charm. And there is nouncertainty or diffidence in the writ-ing; as with every note ofBlumenfeld, the pianism is immacu-late. The third in the set, in C sharpmajor, is reminiscent of bothIppolitov-Ivanov’s Caucasian Sketchesand Rachmaninov’s Serenade. TheTwo Impromptus, Opus 13 werealso published by M.P. Belaieff in1890. The first of them is reminis-cent in its form of the 2nd and 4thImpromptus of Schubert’s opus 90.The second of the opus 13Impromptus is an unadulterated pianistic joy. It is an easily understandable piece, and its soaringfinale has a perfect climax.

Chronologically, what follows is Blumenfeld’s infectious Valse-Impromptu in A flat Major,Opus 16. Composed in 1891 and published in the following year, this airy piece is full of capri-

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Felix Blumenfeld (Odessa, 1908)

cious charm, mirroring the French-influenced popular 19th-centurysalon-style of piano writing.

In 1892, two years after hecomposed his first four preludes,Blumenfeld’s magnum opusappeared in print — the Twenty-Four Preludes, Opus 17. This wasa daring venture for the young com-poser. Although the “prelude” formwas popular among Russian com-posers — virtually all Russian com-posers of the time wrote some ofthese pieces — Blumenfeld was thefirst important composer to publisha set loosely modeled after Chopin’sfamous opus. It should be notedthat Scriabin’s opus 11 was onlycompleted in 1896, AntonArensky’s twelve (of a projectedtwenty-four) appeared around1901, Cesar Cui’s opus 64 was pub-lished in 1903, and Rachmaninov’s“twenty-four” preludes spannedthree opus numbers. As a set, andindividually, Blumenfeld’s Opus 17preludes became very popular. Theywere distributed not only in Russiaand Europe, but also appeared inpublished piano collections in theUnited States.

Like Chopin, Blumenfeld wentabout writing his set of twenty-four preludes in an orderly fashion: starting in C major, he wentthrough the relative minor, the dominant, G major, then its relative minor, and so on round thecircle ending in F major and D minor. Each of the preludes are a musical “snapshot” of Russianlife at the end of the 19th century. The preludes open solemnly with an Andante religioso. The C

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Felix Blumenfeld (St. Petersburg, 1903)

major prelude consists of a slowly undulating theme stated three times. This invitation to prayerpaints a musical picture of a Russian cathedral service with choir, deacon and incense. The secondprelude, in A minor, is full of unusual harmonic turns as if we are in a feverish dream. The G majorprelude which follows, is a short carefree humoresque. The fourth prelude, in E minor, is melan-cholic. While the second prelude in three-four can sound like six-eight, the fifth (in D major), writ-ten in six-eight, often sounds as if it is in three-four. Its theme, is presented twice, the second timemore lushly and passionately, before an angelic coda quietly closes the piece. It is a wistful piece, aremembrance of a lost love. The rousing demonic character of the sixth prelude in B minor contrastsstarkly with its predecessor. It is followed, by the lyrically restless A major prelude. Its lilting left-hand motive gives this work a delightful capriciousness. The elegant eight prelude, in F-sharp minor,is a graceful scherzo, reminiscent of a Schumannesque flowerpiece. Number nine, in E major, isimperial, recreating a royal cortege. The tenth prelude, in C-sharp minor, is profoundly expressiveand unmistakably Russian. The wistful theme of its opening is presented in different guises beforeit erupts in a passionate cry. The last bars are a resigned echo of the beginning. It is a perfect exam-ple of the deep sentiment of the Russian Soul, so evident in the music of this period.

The irresistibly beautiful and intensely emotional 11th prelude, in B major, rises to an excitingclimax. The twelfth G-sharp minor prelude is a dramatic study in octave playing. With its steadilyincreasing texture and volume it makes for a rhythmically exciting listening experience. Number13, in F-sharp major, creates the atmosphere of a Russian Christmas, soft snow falling and gentletranquility. The momentum of the fourteenth E-flat minor prelude is powerful and fatalistic. Its sad-ness is inexorable. Blumenfeld creates a terrific effect with the relentless tolling of the bell at theend. Undiluted happiness pervades the fifteenth prelude, in D-flat major. The melodic line of thispiece continually moves resulting in piano writing of great richness and drama. It is followed by themournful and elegiac, prelude number sixteen in B-flat minor. The blossoming yearning that is partof this piece reminds one of unfolding petals of a beautiful flower on an overcast day. In the 17thA-flat major prelude, the writing is as ingenious as it is graceful. This piece has all the tell-tale signsof a pianist/composer at work. With its Butterfly-like figuration, it is Blumenfeld’s sequel toChopin’s “Butterfly” Étude. Blumenfeld has given the title Memento Mori to the F-minor prelude(No.18). The slowly-moving six-eight theme is supported by subtle harmonies that often lead usaway from, rather than into, a particular tonality.

The theme of the 19th prelude, in E-flat major, is an obvious improvisation on the opera’sLiebestod. Besides his renown as a pianist, composer, and teacher, Blumenfeld also conducted thefirst Russian performance of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. The brief but turbulent 20th prelude, inC minor, is prefaced by an equally stormy quotation from Nikolaus Lenau’s Schilflieder, and indeedcould serve as an accompaniment for it. The text printed on the score is as follows:

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Trübe wird’s, die Wolken jagen,Und der Regen niederbricht,Und die lauten Winde klagen:“Teich, wo ist dein Sternenlicht?”Suchen den erloschnen SchimmerTief im aufgewühlten See.Deine Liebe lächelt nimmerNieder in mein tiefes Weh!

Although the words are not meant to be sung, their rhythm and character were undoubtedly inBlumenfeld’s mind during the composition of the music. Both the melody and the harmonic foun-dation of the 21st prelude, in B-flat major, are the responsibility of the left hand alone with the righthand providing a peaceful accompanying pulse. The pastorale-like prelude No.22 in G-minor is very poignant as it seems to float ethereally. A light rippling triplet-figure creates themood of a rustic scene in the twenty-third prelude, in F major. The effect is that of a bubbling brookin the woods. Blumenfeld’s set ends with the prelude in D minor, full of powerful rhythmic drive.This ghostly pursuit, a midnight wild hunt, proceeds in rhythmic unison to produce a dramaticcoda, ending the twenty-fourth prelude with a final fortissimo chord.

In 1898, after the great success of his String Quartet in F Major, Opus 26, Blumenfeld com-posed a set of ten unusual pieces entitled Moments Lyriques. Not unlike the Preludes, Opus 17, thesepieces became very popular. Brooding and often quite musically adventurous, they were publishedalong with his Impromptu in B Major, Opus 28. This impromptu is one of Blumenfeld’s mostmoving miniatures. Masterfully crafted and intensely emotional, its haunting theme is presented inseveral different ways: sometimes pleading, sometimes turbulent, and, in its first appearance in theright hand, angelically beautiful. It is altogether a gripping piece of music.

In the interval between Opus 28 and 45, Blumenfeld created some of his most imaginativeworks. The most popular among these was also among his most unusual — an Étude in A flat majorfor the left hand alone, Opus 36. To the exclusion of everything else Blumenfeld wrote, this dazzlingshowpiece for the pianist’s left hand became a favorite encore piece of many of the finest pianists ofthis century. Much more introspective, yet still very Romantic in style and substance, Blumenfeld’sTwo Impromptus, Opus 45 were published in 1912, one year before his monumental Sonata-fan-taise in B minor. Both of these wonderful works show a very personal side of Blumenfeld’s art.Technically difficulty and challenging, these pieces represent a pianist/composer at the pinnacle ofhis art.

— Notes by Marina and Victor Ledin, ©2000

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Philip ThomsonBorn in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, Philip Thomson received his early training with

Carol O’Neil until he went to the University of Toronto, where his teacher was Pierre Souvairan.Subsequently he studied at New York’s Juilliard School under Abbey Simon. While there, he wonthe school’s Liszt competition, and performed the Liszt Concerto #1 in Alice Tully Hall, LincolnCenter with the Juilliard Orchestra. Before he finished his studies he had already concertizedwidely in Canada, both in solo recitals and concerto performances. He has since played with allof Canada’s major orchestras. Philip Thomson’s “profound musicianship” (Classical MusicMagazine, Canada) and “beautifully liquid romanticism,” (la Libre Belgigue, Belgium) alongwith his “sheer piano virtuosity,” (The Citizen, Ottawa) and “hair-raising power,” (FinancialTimes, London) have also won him recognition outside of Canada. He has performed inEngland, France, The Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Hungary, Italy, and throughout Ireland andthe Eastern United States. For two weeks in the fall of 1996, he was in Chengdu, China, teach-ing and performing at the Sichuan Conservatory. His performances have been broadcast on radioand he has appeared several times on CBC television.

Mr. Thomson received wide attention in 1991 when his world-premiere recording of theMaxwell edition of Liszt’s De Profundis and two other rarely-heard Liszt concertos garnered unan-imous critical acclaim in musical journals throughout the world. De Profundis is a 40-minutetour-de-force, the manuscript of which had lain in the Goethe-Schiller Archive in Weimar forover 150 years without any serious musical examination. Mr. Thomson managed to obtain a copyof the manuscript, and found that De Profundis was a fully-realized piano concerto, completewith orchestration, which for some reason had been left off in mid-stroke only a few bars beforethe intended end. He showed the work to Canadian composer Michael Maxwell who copied outthe score. Together they prepared a performing edition, Mr. Maxwell adding the necessary lastnine bars. Philip Thomson’s recording of this work, with the Hungarian State Orchestra forHungaroton Records, was enthusiastically received, and its success secured him the opportunityto perform several countries’ premieres of De Profundis. The world premiere of the work inBudapest in the spring of 1992 was followed by performances in Italy, at the Festival PianisticoInternazionale di Brescia e Bergamo, and in Canada, at the Montreal International Piano Festival.He performed the American premiere at the International Liszt Festival in Washington, D.C., in1993.

Philip Thomson’s accomplishments have not been limited to the keyboard. While still inhigh school, he played the violin in both the Provincial and National Youth Orchestras. During

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those same years, he captured New Brunswick’s table tennis championship and was, for one year,that province’s chess champion. He also played ice hockey on his school team, a sport at whichhe did not excel. In 1991, a few weeks before going to Hungary to record Liszt’s De Profundis, hefulfilled a long-standing desire to parachute out of an airplane.

An active teacher, Philip Thomson taught for five years at the University of Waterloo,Ontario, and has been on the faculty of the University of Akron, Ohio, since 1994. In additionto this disc of music by Felix Blumenfeld, Mr. Thomson has recorded for Naxos Records pianoworks by Franz Liszt.

Philip Thomson

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To place an order or to be included on mailing list:Ivory Classics® • P.O. Box 341068 • Columbus, Ohio 43234-1068

Phone: 888-40-IVORY or 614-761-8709 • Fax: 614-761-9799e-mail@ivoryclassics.com • Website: http://www.IvoryClassics.com

CREDITS

Recorded at Fernleaf Abbey, Columbus, Ohio on November 4, 5, 6, 1998;May 5, 6, 1999 and October 4, 1999.

Original 24-bit Master

Producer: Michael Rolland Davis

Recording Engineer: Ed Thompson

Assistant Engineer: Kim Keown

Piano Technician: Edd Kolakowski

Generous assistance from the Michael Palm Foundation and Ivory Classics Foundation

Liner Notes: Marina & Victor Ledin, Encore Consultants

Design: Communication Graphics

Cover Photograph: Felix Blumenfeld (Paris, ca. 1900)

Inside Tray Photo: Philip Thomson

Blumenfeld scores are available through Michael Rolland Davis Publishers,Fax: (614) 761-9799; Telephone: (614) 761-8709;

email: mrdavis@columbus.rr.com

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®

- Twenty-Four Preludes, Opus 17 (1892) 49:00

- Two Impromptus, Opus 13 (1890) 7:09

Impromptu in B Major, Opus 28 (1898) 2:46

- Four Preludes, Opus 12 (1890) 5:41

- Two Impromptus, Opus 45 (1912) 6:48

Valse-Impromptu, Opus 16 (1891) 3:26

Total Playing Time: 75:07

WORLD PREMIERE RECORDING

Original 24-bit Master

Producer: Michael Rolland Davis • Engineer: Ed Thompson

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2000 Ivory Classics® • All Rights Reserved.Ivory Classics® • P.O. Box 341068

Columbus, Ohio 43234-1068 U.S.A. Phone: 888-40-IVORY or 614-761-8709 • Fax: 614-761-9799e-mail@ivoryclassics.com • Website: www.IvoryClassics.com

64405-71002 STEREO

FELIX BLUMENFELDComplete Preludes & Impromptus

Philip Thomson, Pianist

FELIX BLUMENFELDComplete Preludes & Impromptus

Philip Thomson, Pianist