Alexander Tcherepnin (1899-1977)
Nikolay Tcherepnin (1873-1945)
Complete Works for Violin and Piano Volume 1
Giorgio Koukl (piano), Klaidi Sahatçi (violin), Johann Sebastian Paetsch (cello)
rec. 2023, Studio Bottega del Pianoforte, Lugano, Switzerland
Grand Piano GP937 [69]

Continuing to doggedly pursue his quest to unearth music we should hear that has been disgracefully neglected, the pianist Giorgio Koukl and friends present us with eight works by father and son Nikolay and Alexander Tcherepnin.  Koukl has already recorded all of Alexander’s solo piano music, showing what a fantastic composer he was. Of the eight works, only the two-and-a-quarter-minute Arabesque has previously been recorded, leaving us with the exciting prospect of discovering seven works that have never been on disc before.  

First is the lushly lyrical Violin Sonata in C minor which Alexander is thought to have composed while in Tbilisi, to where they had fled following the Russian Revolution of 1917.  It is a remarkably mature work for a young man, which shows not only his facility for writing wonderfully tuneful melodies but a certain degree of lived experience. It is quite a substantial work in four movements, lasting a full 17 minutes. It opens with a beautiful, ‘heart on sleeve’ melody from the violin, with the piano giving a simple accompaniment until both expand the lines to become a full-blown expression of emotion.  Its marking of Adagio-Allegro Drammatico is fully justified. The short, sprightly and witty second movement is almost a parody of the first, treating the serious themes much more offhandedly, while the third is another lush but serious Adagio which reiterates the emotional heart of the opening movement. It segues seamlessly into the final movement, marked Vivace, which takes the same main themes at fast speed and brings back memories of the brief second but in more serious a fashion. It is a highly enjoyable and impressive work for such a young composer, showing the undoubted promise that was to prove well-founded throughout his life.  This world première recording is of pianist Giorgio Koukl’s ‘arrangement’ which had more to do with tidying up from two versions, both of which left some ‘ragged’ edges. 

There follows another superbly emotional piece, his short Arabesque, one of five, but the only one for violin and piano, the others being for piano solo.

The second world première is of Tcherepnin’s Piano Trio of 1925 which is another masterful work full of marvellous tunes. The energy in its opening movement is very affecting and the second and third include some folk-like melodies with echoes of Shostakovich or, even more strikingly, Weinberg, with their Jewish tinges. It just defies reason to think that it has had to wait a hundred years to be recorded.

The last work by Alexander on the disc and another world première is his Triple Concerto, which was subjected to several revisions and a culling of instruments to reduce it from an original twelve to three. The result that saw the light of day in 1960, thirty years after its first iteration, is a taut work and its opening movement is a march-like piece with the piano marking time in repeated notes as if keeping the other two instruments in order, with a very assertive theme emerging which comes to an abrupt finish, making way for a slower-paced but no less self-assured movement with rather disturbing undertones. The third movement takes us back from Lento to Allegro for more decisive statements in which, again, the piano is boss. The work closes with an equally forcefully positive Presto. I can easily imagine the main theme from the first movement becoming an earworm for me, it is so incisive. 

It is then the turn of Alexander’s father Nikolay and all four works are world premières. First, we have his Cadence Fantastique, which he wrote in 1915 and revised in 1926. Its title might suggest something light-weight, even frivolous; however, this is anything but, with dream-like episodes which reminded me of Scriabin’s heady melodies that are almost tangibly incense-filled. The booklet notes quote from François Pineau-Benois sums it up perfectly: ‘An unpredictable journey where the denial of feelings, anguish, exultation and rage can burst out at any moment…’  It has an almost mysterious aura which the violin is given the main job of creating. Then we have the short but sweet Pièce Calme (Pastorale) from 1935 in a version for violin and piano, a beautifully measured piece.  Next is a very descriptive piece Villegiature (number 4 of his Azbuka v Kartinkakh or The Alphabet in Pictures, 14 sketches after Benois) whose aim is to depict the very Russian habit of dacha ownership which allowed people, especially those normally cooped up in cities, to unwind in the countryside and get back to the close connection Russians have with the land. It works very well once one appreciates the context. However, it must be said that the dacha habit is not exclusively associated with Russia; pianist Giorgio Koukl will attest, as he will know how much Czechs and Slovaks (and, no doubt Poles and other Slavs) appreciate their ‘hatas’, the Czech equivalent, which all aspire to own, however small or rudimentary.  The disc closes with the companion piece to Pièce Calme (Pastorale), Un air Ancien, or An Old Russian Melody again in its version for violin and piano. Both pieces were originally written for woodwind, the first for oboe and this for flute. These versions though are delightful in their innocent simplicity and would be perfect as encore pieces. These works highlight what a great example Nikolay was for his son; composing was certainly in the family’s blood, as is attested by the subsequent generations of this musical dynasty.  

When I first arrived to live in Yorkshire my neighbour said he envied me as I had the whole county to discover anew and this is how I feel about those who have yet to discover the Tcherepnins, as I can assure them that they will thoroughly enjoy getting to know these singularly gifted composers whose music deserves the widest possible exposure. 

This disc is another valuable document in the ever-expanding list of the recorded legacy of this family’s contribution to the joy of listening to music. All three musicians deliver superlative performances overlaid with obviously genuine reverence for the music, from the crisp playing of Giorgio Koukl, the sweet tones produced by Klaidi Sahatci, to the warm sound from Johann Sebastian Paetsch’s cello. The recording to is as good as it gets, with a fine balance.

Steve Arloff

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Contents
Alexander Tcherepnin
Violin Sonata in C minor (?1918-21) (ed. G. Koukl)*
Arabesque for Violin and Piano, Op. 11, No.5 (1920-21)
Piano Trio, Op.34 (1925)*
Trio Concertante, Op.47 (1930/1960)*
Nikolay Tcherepnin
Cadence fantastique, Op.42bis (1915, rev. 1926)*
Pièce calme (Pastorale) (1935)
Villegiature, Op.38, No.4 (1910)*
Un air ancien (1935)*

*First Recordings