Fjodor Akimenko: Chant d'automne op. 16 No. 1 (von Riesemann's best-of edition: Russian piano music)

Performed by Christian Dillig
This touching piece of the russian-ukrainian composer Fjodor Akimenko, initially melancholy, later also stormy, is the first in a best-of edition of Russian piano music published in 1920 by the music publisher M. Belaieff in Leipzig.
I would like to take this as an opportunity to present this extremely worthwhile compilation of works. It was compiled and published by the German writer, composer and musicologist Dr. Oskar von Riesemann (1880 - 1934), who spent many years of his life in Moscow. The aim was to familiarise lovers of classical piano music with the wide range of music created in Russia. Or rather: with the selection of musical works published by the music publisher Mitrofan Belyayev. This was a considerable amount, however, as Belyayev was the most productive publisher of works by Russian composers alongside P. Jurgenson. However, Belyayev focussed more on the St. Petersburg region, while in Moscow the publisher Peter Jürgenson largely covered the market. St. Petersburg and Moscow were also the most important music centres of the Russian Empire. Most young composers were trained at the two conservatories.
Both music publishers had different backgrounds: Jürgenson initially had hardly any financial resources of his own. However, his publishing house quickly flourished, as his publishing concept was based on making popular classical music by famous musicians from Western and Central Europe accessible to Russia. Jurgenson channelled some of the profits he made into promoting the works of local composers. Belyayev, on the other hand, had received his fortune from his father, who was a successful industrialist and timber merchant. When his father died in 1885, Mitrofan inherited a considerable fortune. As a passionate music lover, Belyayev decided to invest his fortune in the financial support of art and music in particular. After initially supporting the young Glazunov, he promoted and published works by talented composers. Belyayev supported many young talents, and the musicians were very grateful to him for this. His name invited people to write music about him: B - La - F. La is the note a. One such piece is also part of Riesemann's best-of collection: Alexander Borodin's Serenata alla spagnola.
The collection consists of only 12 compositions, although von Riesemann could have drawn on many more. Belyayev tended to have contacts with the circle of composers around the so-called Mighty Five around Mily Balakirev, which also included Alexander Borodin, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakoff, Modest Mussorgsky and Caesar Cui. The Mighty Five championed a national Russian music which, following in the footsteps of Mikhail Glinka, wanted to incorporate more elements of folk music and not indulge in empty virtuosity associated with Western music. Of these five, three composers are represented in the selected volume: Borodin, Mussorksy and Rimsky-Korsakoff. A total of six of Rimsky-Korsakoff's pupils are represented in the volume: Fjodor Akimenko, the composer of the present and opening piece, Nikolai Amani, from whom I have now recorded a whole series of pieces, Nikolai Artsybushev, Semyon Barmotine, Felix Blumenfeld, Vladimir Horowitz's most important piano teacher, and Anatol Liadov. Niklai Shcherbachov was a member of the Balakirev circle, the powerful little group. Alexander Scriabin is in fact the only "intruder" of the Moscow School. Their works (Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff...), published by Jurgenson, would certainly have been added to von Riesemann's oeuvre. After all, von Riesemann was the first biographer of Rachmaninoff, even during his lifetime.
Of course, the selection is very debatable and could have been completely different. But in my opinion, von Riesemann has succeeded in creating a good picture of Russian piano music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, like an extra composition. Every single piece in this edition touches me and has a different musical idea that has been consistently pursued and realised in sound. I don't know of any other best-of collection of any cultural group that I have ever heard.I have already recorded part of the pieces. KZbin only allows only this length. That's why I can't link, but refer to the playlist: • Best-of editions and a...
1. Th. Akimenko: Chant d’Automne op. 16 No. 1 (rec)
2. N. Artchiboucheff : Prélude op. 18 No. 1 (rec)
3. N. Amani: Orientale op. 7 No. 2 (rec)
4. S. Barmotine: Berceuse op. 5 No. 3 (rec)
5. F. Blumenfeld: Krakowiak op. 23 No. 1 (rec)
6. A. Borodin: Serenata alla spagnola from String Quartett over the name B-la-f
7. A. Glazunow: Valse op. 42 No. 3
7. A. Liadow: Une Tabatière á Musique. Valse-Bandinage (rec)
8. M. Mussorgsky: Intermezzo
9. N. Rimsky-Korsakow: Song of India from the opera Sadko (arr. by Alexander Tcherepnin) (rec)
10. A. Skriabin: Poèmea op. 32 No. 1
11. N. Shcherbachov: Le Mezzetin amoureux. Sérénade-Valse. Op. 8 No. 5

[@igarok6520]

not russian-ukrainian, but ukrainian. And even not "fjodor" "akimenko" but Fedir Yakymenko. Stop ruzzian imperialism