New review of Nikolai Medvedev’s album of Glazunov’s compositions

In his tasteful and technically flawless interpretation, Nikolay Medvedev focuses on the subtle nuances in Glazoenov’s scores, resulting in these late romantic works appearing fresh, sparkling, and original. Medvedev’s passionate yet thoughtful playing adds an extra dimension to this music, characterized by melodic freedom, significant dynamic contrasts, as well as a certain monumentality and grand expressive gestures. The pianist effortlessly and musically connects this rich palette of colors, harmonic shifts, contrapuntal solidity, diverse dynamics, and rhythms, ensuring that the musical movement never stagnates and the sound remains dynamically varied and expressive. The combination of Glazoenov’s musical originality, richness of sound, and Medvedev’s outstanding performance makes this recording a valuable and attractive one, genuinely piquing the listener’s curiosity for other works by this composer.

https://www.luister.nl/

Olga de Kort, Luister magazine, Netherlands.

February 2024