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 soprano 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 (2021)

‘… a rewarding addition to a still unaccountably under-populated discography.’ Paul Riley, BBC Music Magazine (2021)

‘… at home in Medtner’s style’. Robert Hugill, www.planethugill.com (2021)

‘… this release is indeed a solid effort and one worth adding to any song enthusiast’s collection.’  Azusa Ueno, The Classic Review (2021)

BUY HERE or listen on Apple Music, IDAGIO, Primephonic, Spotify or Qobuz

COMPOSERS AT THE SAVILE CLUB (SOMM Recordings, 2019)

Album of the Week: KDFC & KUSC radio stations (2 Sept 2019), Top of Spotify, Apple Music and Primephonic releases (Aug 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 (Arr. Douglas) Popular Song; GARDINER Shepherd’s Fennel Dance; ELGAR In Smyrna, Serenade; STANFORD A Reel & Leprechaun’s Dance from ‘Four Irish Dances’

‘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

BUY HERE or listen on Apple Music, IDAGIO, Primephonic, Spotify or Qobuz,

RUSSIAN ÉMIGRÉ COMPOSERS (Claudio Records, 2018)

PROKOFIEV Excerpts from Visions Fugitives; MEDTNER Sonate-Ballade; GRECHANINOV Pieces; RACHMANINOV  ‘Now let thye servant depart’, Fragments, Etude-Tableaux, Op. 39 no. 7; STRAVINSKY  Three movements from Petrushka

‘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

BUY HERE or listen on Apple Music, IDAGIO, Primephonic, Spotify or Qobuz