Alexander Goldenweiser: Piano Music, Vol. 1 (2008)

Alexander Goldenweiser was one of the great founders of the "Russian Piano School," a tirelessly dedicated pedagogue who helped establish the very system of teaching piano in Russia that led to a number of successful, even legendary, concert artists. History often automatically remands the musical compositions belonging to those who teach to the historic dustbin of "those who can't" (i.e., compose music that goes beyond the rudimentary requirements of finger training). This is despite the fact that Franz Liszt, Ferruccio ... Read More

Alexander Goldenweiser was one of the great founders of the "Russian Piano School," a tirelessly dedicated pedagogue who helped establish the very system of teaching piano in Russia that led to a number of successful, even legendary, concert artists. History often automatically remands the musical compositions belonging to those who teach to the historic dustbin of "those who can't" (i.e., compose music that goes beyond the rudimentary requirements of finger training). This is despite the fact that Franz Liszt, Ferruccio Busoni -- even Johann Sebastian Bach -- were all highly regarded as great teachers in addition to their welter of compositions and proficiency at the keyboard. While there was a lengthy pause in the middle of Goldenweiser's career in which he composed little or nothing, at either end he wrote quite a bit of music but did not do much on his own behalf to promote a reputation as a composer. Pianist Jonathan Powell, a former student of Goldenweiser's student Sulamita Aronovsky, has... Read Less