Nikolai Medtner ‒ 4 Skazki, Op. 26

Nikolai Karlovich Medtner (1880 - 1951), 4 Tales, Op.26 (1910 - 1912)
Performed by Geoffrey Tozer (2001)
00:00 - No. 1 Allegretto frescamente
02:34 - No. 2 Molto vivace
04:00 - No. 3 Narrate a piacere
06:45 - No. 4 Sostenuto
Sunny moods prevail in the Op 26 set. The tranquillity of the first piece is disturbed by nothing more alarming than the chirping of a bird, while the second unleashes a brief eruption of exuberance and laughter. Then comes a gently melancholic soliloquy with, perhaps, a touch of world-weariness which persists in the main theme of the fourth piece, albeit here punctuated by bursts of impish humour.