Janáček: Piano Works Natalia Sokolovskaya

• Leoš Janáček (1854-1928): On the Overgrown Path, JW VIII/17:
• 1 No. 1, Our Evenings 03:25
• 2 No. 2, A Blown-Away Leaf 02:18
• 3 No. 3, Come Along with Us! 01:12
• 4 No. 4, The Madonna of Frýdek 03:04
• 5 No. 5, They Chattered like Swallows 02:19
• 6 No. 6, Words Failed Me 01:55
• 7 No. 7, Good Night! 03:38
• 8 No. 8, So Unutterably Anxious 03:05
• 9 No. 9, In Tears 03:04
• 10 No. 10, The Little Owl Continues Screeching 03:59
• 11 No. 11, Andante 02:55
• 12 No. 12, Allegretto 02:25
• 13 No. 13, Più mosso 02:33
• 14 No. 14, Vivo 02:29
• 15 No. 15, Allegro 03:59
• Piano Sonata 1.X.1905, JW VIII/19:
• 16 I. Foreboding 05:52
• 17 II. Death 07:43
• In the Mists, JW VIII/22:
• 18 I. Andante 03:55
• 19 II. Molto adagio 05:04
• 20 III. Andantino 02:48
• 21 IV. Presto 04:52
• Total Runtime 01:12:34

Info for Janáček: Piano Works

The Sonáta 'pro klavír' „I. X. 1905, Z ulice“, JW 8/19 (Piano Sonata “1 October 1905, From the Street” in E minor, JW 8/19, 1905) was inspired by the tragic and violent death of a protester during a demonstration calling for the construction of a new Czech university. Janacek drew inspiration from this deeply traumatising event, resulting in his only piano sonata. Although not entirely pianistic, it contains strong elements of drama and originality.

Janácek’s piano cycle 'V mlhách', JW 8/22 (In the Mists, 1912) contains elements of the intimate, personal and emotionally immediate music from the borders of eastern and western Europe, coming from the fiddles and cimbalom (hammered dulcimer) of Moravian folk music, as well as its use of melodic fragments, reiterated and altered in various ways. In the composer’s use of harmonic colour, however, there is more than a hint of Debussy-like impressionism, but the context is purely Czech.

The first five pieces of the two sets 'Po zarostlém chodnícku', JW 8/17 ('On an Overgrown Path', 1901–1908) were composed around 1900, for harmonium. The first set of ten was completed in 1908. The pieces, as Janácek wrote, "contain distant reminiscences. Those reminiscences are so dear to me that I do not think they will ever vanish." Some of these memories are clearly happy, others extremely sad.

Natalia Sokolovskaya is a very refined and elegant young Russian pianist, winner of several international competitions and active as a concertist pianist and organizer.

Natalia Sokolovskaya, piano

Natalia Sokolovskaya
Born in Astrakhan. She graduated from the Moscow Conservatory studying piano under Prof. Yuri Slesarev and also composition (2013). She is continuing studies at the Royal College of Music in London under Prof. Norma Fisher and at the École Normale de Musique Alfred Cortot in Paris under Prof. Marian Rybicki. In 2013 she won two international piano competitions in Spain, the Ricardo Viñes Competition in Lleida and the Maria Herrero Competition in Granada, as well as the Dudley Yamaha International Competition in Birmingham (UK). Since her début as a solo recitalist (in 2003), she has performed in Russia, Europe, Australia, and the UK. She has performed with the symphony orchestras of Kharkov, Yaroslavl, and Astrakhan.

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