Pianophilia

Igor Alekseevich Parfenov. Born 1928, Kurgan.

From the age of five he began to study music, at the age of 14 he began to compose small melodies under the guidance of the chairman of the Union of Composers of Kabardino-Balkaria, Sheybler. In October 1945 he entered the Leningrad Higher Art School and after graduation he worked in workshops for the restoration of the Kremlin palace. During his studies he spent all of his free time at the piano, and all weekends in the big hall of the Conservatoire and the opera house.

From 1950 to 1954 he served in the army in Moldova, where he was the concertmaster of the song and dance ensemble. Demobilized in 1954, he entered studied theory and composition at the Krasnodar Music College, graduating in 1957. For the next forty years he taught at local music schools.

He had begun to compose music in Kurgan from 1966, and his works include: twenty-five albums of piano pieces, three symphonies for folk instrument orchestra, three violin concertos, cello concerto, piano concerto, two suites for brass orchestra, and twenty romances choirs.

'Melodiya' Fifteen Pieces (2008)
1. In the Spring Forest
2. Bird Cherry over Water
3. Snowdrop
4. Spring Waltz
5. Native Landscape
6. Dawn Rose Above the Silent Fields
7. March of the Puppets
8. Fugue
9. Country Square Dance
10. Minuet
11. Easy Variations
12. Portrait
13. Melody
14. Autumn Dream
15. Waltz ‘At the Tree’

I believe (but don't have a URL to prove it) that he died a year or so ago. Someone I know told me they saw a tribute to him on a Russian-language website

Many thanks Phillip, I shall investigate.

Volodymyr Mikhailovich Ptushkin. Born 1949, Voroshylovhrad. Ukrainian composer, pianist and teacher.

Studied at the Kharkiv Institute of the Arts, graduating in 1972 after studies in piano with Papkova, and in 1973 after studies in composition with Klebanov. Whilst studying, he worked as concert master at the Institute.

From 1972 – 2002 has worked as music director of Pushkin Drama Theatre in Kharkiv, and also taught composition at the Music School No. 10. Later taught at the Kharkiv Conservatoire.

Pieces and Ensembles for Piano solo and Piano / 4 hands (2006)
1. Dwarves March
2. Tic-tac-toe
3. The Clocks show Night
4. The World’s Most Sad Organ-grinder
5. Five Little Sketches
a. Cheerful Rain
b. Talking Gusts
c. Balalaikas
d. An Annoying Fly
e. Ballet Scene
6. It Seems the Rain Begins
7. Playful Harpsichord
8. Shatter
9. Ukrainian Toccata
10. Kolomyyka

Piano / 4 hands:
10. Playing at the Theatre
11. Suite ‘Gulliver’
a. Overture
b. Lilliputians
c. Gavotte
d. Roads
e. Romance of Laputians
f. Tournament of Court Rope Walkers
12. The Brendford Witch from the suite ‘Windsor Pranksters’
13. Four Pieces from the music comedy based on Moliere’s ‘The Bourgeois in the Nobility’
a. Minuet
b. Merry Scuffle
c. Gavotte of the Shepherds
d. Tarantella
14. Five Pieces from Tchaikovsky’s Children’s Album – arr. Piano & 4 hands.

Alexandre Apletscheyev (Apletscheieff) – 5 nice piano pieces from the BNF. (Low-res scans)

Mikhail Yul’evich Zubov (1877-1943). A new composer to me but a wonderful album of the following scores.


Op 1 Evening in Kuznetsov’ Waltz (1898)
Op 2 ‘In the Kuznetsovsky Garden’ Waltz (1898)
Op 3 Waltz Serenade in C major (1898)
Op 4 Polka in Eb major (1898)
Op 4 bis Nocturne in Ab major (1898)
Op 5 Mazurka in A minor (1898)
Op 6 Etude in C major (1900)
Op 7 Alla Palaca in C major (1900)
Op 8 Kazachok in A minor (1900)
Op 9 Mazurka in A minor (1900)
Op 11 Prelude in E minor (1900)
Op 14 Barcarolle in A minor (1900)
Op 15 At the Ball in F major (1900)
Op 20 Waltz in C major (1900)
Op 21 Waltz in A minor (1900)
Op 23 March (1900)
Op 25 Waltz in E major (1900)
Op 27 Song without Words in Bb minor (1900)
Op 28 Bagatelle in Bb minor (1900)
Op 30 Etude No. 2 in Bb major (1901)
Op 31 Masquerade in the Kadnikovsky Club at Christmas in Bb major (1901)
Op 32 In the village in E major (1901)
Dance (1903)
People Running to the Square in D minor (1904)
Prelude in F minor (1904)
Song without Words (in F# minor 1905)
Prelude in A minor (1905)
Prelude in C minor (1905)
Prelude in F minor (1906)
Prelude in G major (1906)
Prelude in E minor (1906)
Prelude in E minor (1906)
Eastern Fantasy (1906)
Scherzo & Trio (1905-1907)

I don't see a scan of this here - Blizzard by Nicolai Silvansky. It appears to be a popular competition piece. -nms- One of many YouTube recordings:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zCSL6lq0S8

Thank you Malcom and Jim. I've heard that Silvansky piece many times it is very well written so nice to have to have the score to it.

Back to my beloved Russian roots.................Igor Belza (1904-1994) - an album of his piano works including three sonatas, etudes, preludes and other major works by this composer.

Malcolm

Malcolm:

Thank you very much, it's a great variety of Belza musical genres to enjoy.

regards

Aleksandr Ermolov. 20th century.........has written over 200 songs for children and youth. More works are available through the composer's website: http://ermolov.ru