MEDTNER IN ENGLAND | SOMM Recordings, 2023
MEDTNER Sonata-Epica Op. 57 with Natalia Lomeiko, Sonate-Idylle Op. 56, Eight Songs Op. 61 with Theodore Platt
Karpeyev is en pointe … taking what is a dizzyingly agile part in his stride — Michael Beek, BBC Music magazine
Karpeyev makes the whole movement sparkle with joie de vivre and a playfulness which belies the virtuosic demands. [He] … responds brilliantly to the kaleidoscopic mood swings but also perceives how they form an absolutely coherent whole — Claire Seymour, Opera Today
the attraction of Medtner in England is in its programme as a whole, and with glorious performances and superlative recording quality this is a disc no Medtner fan will want to be without — Dominy Clemons, Musicweb International
Serenity and ‘a valedictory late-summer haze’ can be found in the music on this inspiring and intriguing CD, as well as dynamic scherzo passages, and ~ in the Violin Sonata ~ the satisfying momentum of an Allegro Molto finale in which Natalia Lomeiko and Alexander Karpeyev convince us that Medtner deserves to be far better known — Stuart Millson, The Quarterly Review
With its ideal balance between the two instruments … Lomeiko’s [and Karpeyev’s] interpretation offers a very noteworthy way to enjoy this excellent sonata’ — Uwe Krusch on Sonata-Epica, Pizzicato.lu
Lomeiko and Karpeyev are on top of every intricacy in the score and bring it to vivid life. They are in the character throughout and well balanced —Podbean.com
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MEDTNER SONGS | Chandos Records, 2021
MEDTNER Six Poem by Pushkin, Op. 36, Five Poems by Tyutchev and Fet, Op. 37,Four Songs, Op. 45, Seben Lieder, Op. 46 with Sofia Fomina
A parallel with Rachmaninov that does stand is the frequently fiendish piano-writing and Medtner scholar and enthusiast Alexander Karpeyev is equal to task, with some wonderfully tempestuous playing in works such as ‘Arion’ or the virtuoso piano part of ‘Elegy’, regarded as one of Medtner’s finest songs — Mark Pullinger, Gramophone
… a rewarding addition to a still unaccountably under-populated discography — Paul Riley, BBC Music Magazine
… at home in Medtner’s style — Robert Hugill, www.planethugill.com
… this release is indeed a solid effort and one worth adding to any song enthusiast’s collection — Azusa Ueno, The Classic Review
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COMPOSERS AT THE SAVILE CLUB | SOMM Recordings, 2019
PARRY Prelude, QUILTER In a Gondola, HOWELLS Procession, CHAGRIN Suite Romaine, ARNOLD Variations on a Ukranian Folk Song, BENJAMIN Scherzino, ALWYN Night Thoughts, THOMSON 3 Pieces from ‘Nineteen Portraits’, WALTON Popular Song, GARDINER Shepherd’s Fennel Dance, ELGAR In Smyrna, Serenade, STANFORD A Reel & Leprechaun’s Dance
Album of the Week: KDFC & KUSC radio stations, 2 September 2019, Top of Spotify, Apple Music and Primephonic releases, August 2019
‘Here’s a charmer … None of these pieces could be described as bland or ‘twee’ and Karpeyev is a major artist in what is clearly a labour of love‘ — Phillip Scott, Limelight Magazine, Australia
‘Both [Parry’s Prelude and Thomson’s Nineteen Portraits] show Karpeyev to be deft at switching idioms and good at immediately establishing a specific atmosphere. … [Arnold’s Variations’] mercurial mood switches again draw sharp responses from Karpeyev , veering from light-spun filigree to muscle-flexing virtuosity. … a recital which is eminently worth investigating’ — Terry Blain, BBC Music Magazine
… a neat … programme of British repertoire that … will be … greatly enjoyed — Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International
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RUSSIAN ÉMIGRÉ COMPOSERS | Claudio Records, 2018
PROKOFIEV Visions Fugitives, MEDTNER Sonate-Ballade, GRECHANINOV Pieces, RACHMANINOV ‘Now let thy servant depart’, Fragments, Etude-Tableaux, Op. 39 no. 7, STRAVINSKY Three movements from Petrouchka
This is an extremely impressive debut recording. The playing of the Medtner sonata compares well with the very best recordings in the catalogue, including those by Hamelin, Tozer and Milne — Robert Beattie, MusicWeb International
Prokofiev’s […] Visions Fugitives Op 22 […] are impeccably chosen and presented. […] Good to have [Medtner’s] Sonata-Ballade […] in a performance rivalling that of Hamelin’s. Karpeyev’s grasp of the structure of the piece is remarkable, enabling a real sense of flow and beauty — Colin Clarke, International Piano
This is one of the finest discs of Russian piano music I have heard for sometime. The selection of music is one of the most intelligent in terms of programming from these five composers, and the performances by this young and intensely artistic virtuoso are wholly exceptional throughout. […] A true state-of-art release – detailed comments are unnecessary — Robert Matthew-Walker, Musical Opinion
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