The Five Études in Different Intervals op. 68 present the pianist with a treatise on twentieth-century virtuoso piano technique, written in an idiosyncratic and often highly amusing vein, that hold the player and audience completely in thrall from start to finish. A huge technique is required to play these pieces well, but the result is most certainly worth the effort. As usual, Kapustin leaves it to the performer to work out the best fingering to use, but unfortunately any suggestions are way beyond our editorial capabilities!
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The Eight Concert Études op.40 were written in 1984, and demonstrate Kapustin's compositional style at its broadest and most inventive. Each study presents the pianist with different, and often considerable, technical challenges (as of course befits the genre), in many, fascinating ways. The pieces tap into a whole range of musical languages - jazz, blues, ragtime, boogie-woogie, stride, cocktail-bar nonchalance - and are full of energy and excitement, even in the most disarmingly tuneful passages.
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Suite in the Old Style op. 28, written in 1977, explores the rich world of the African-American spiritual and evangelical gospel using the structural lines of a Bach Suite or Partita. Each of the seven movements corresponds precisely in texture, tempo and hierarchy of repeats to its baroque counterpart, the composer thereby reminding us of his classical heritage and training. There is even - unusually for Kapustin - the odd fingering mark to help us on our way through this melodious and satisfying work.
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Kapustin likes to give his works formal titles, but these can be deceptive. The nature of the music within is far from traditional, and his Toccatina op. 36 is no exception. Written in 1983, it is a succinct and dizzying piece that may remind you of jazz and rock improvisation, but its construction and musical style are outside these boundaries. Here is a complete, albeit only three-minute, work, the first in our Kapustin publishing programme, and an instant winner with performances and audiences alike.
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The introductory theme of the Variations op. 41 takes the form of a jazzed-up rendition of the opening solo bassoon motif from Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring, and the whole set of variations encompasses Kapustin's style in microcosm. Every conceivable mainstream jazz influence is to be found in this work, evoking memories of Count Basie and Erroll Garner amongst others, while all the time subjecting itself to traditional classical form. In particular, the last four pages contain some of Kapustin's most exciting music.
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