Russian Bells, the toll will be tremendous!

In the Russian Orthodox Church bells are seen as singing icons that have the power to banish evil. Some of these bells were huge, the doomed Tsar-Kolokol bell weighed in at 180 tons!

With this preponderance of bells in Russian society it is not surprising bell sounds and the pealing of same show up in Russian music. On the Piano this Sunday the first part of an exploration of these bell themes starting with some Western examples and then moving on to composers like Anton Rubinstein, Sergai Liapunov and moving on to familiar music by Mussorgsky, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. The program ends with Alexander Scriabin's "Holy Bells" that are part and parcel of his Piano Sonata No. 7.

Bells, Holy and otherwise, heard on the Piano this Sunday afternoon at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

Love might have something to do with it…

Normally Alexander Scriabin composed his music without emotional fanfare, but as a 25 year old in Paris and spending time with a beautiful Russian girl, his fiancée, maybe there is a link to his infatuation and music.

Find out on the Piano this Sunday when we hear two transitory pieces of the Russian composer, his only Piano Concerto and the Third Sonata on the Piano at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

You are from where again?

It is common practice to categorize composers by their country and there are National Schools, but on the Piano this Sunday afternoon music from two men that probably could not agree about many things. Mily Balakirev was the founder of the Russian Nationalist School also known as the Mighty Five. He and friends like Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Borodin wanted to remove German Symphonic influences from Russian music and by using native tunes return a national essence to their music. Alexander Scriabin started as a follower of the music of Frederic Chopin but he soon grew into a world, no that isn't quite fair, a universe of his own.

On the Piano this Sunday afternoon at 5 hear music of these diverse Russian composers on KPAC & KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

Treasures Galore from the SAIPC

The Piano is into the 5th week of highlights from the recent San Antonio International Piano Competition. On the program two twentieth century Russian Piano Sonatas, another Ballade of Chopin, a scary song of Schubert transcribed by Liszt and Karl Czerny's variations on La Ricordenza.

The Piano, Sunday afternoons at 5 on KPAC and KTXI.

host, Randy Anderson

Come on Mily just finish it!

On the Piano this Sunday music for anyone who procrastinates. Mily Balakirev spent forty years getting around to starting the second movement of his E-flat Piano Concerto. The second movement done he realized that he wouldn't live long enough to finish the work so he left sketches of the finale to his friend Liapunov to wrap up. You can hear the entire work this Sunday. To round out the program Scriabin's Eight Etudes Opus 42 in a new recording with Garrick Olhsson. The Piano this Sunday afternoon at 5 here on KPAC and KTXI

host, Randy Anderson

The Constantly Evolving Musician

There is a Mozart sound and one can recognize Beethoven's music from early on to his last works, but it would be hard to imagine a musician whose musical vision grew and evolved more than that of Alexander Scriabin. Born on Christmas day (Julian calendar) 1872 Scriabin followed in his mother's footsteps by learning piano at an early age. He was in love with the music of Chopin and would sleep with scores of the Polish master under his pillow at night. His first works were Chopin-like, but that was only the start of an ever changing voice. At his all too early death in 1915, Scriabin was the most avant-garde musician of his time.

On the piano this Sunday a Life in Preludes. We hear Alexander Scriabin's entire musical life from first composed prelude to the Opus 74 that sounds like something from well, outer space! On the Piano this Sunday afternoon at 5 here on KPAC and KTXI.

host Randy Anderson