Credits:

Kapustin, Nikolai (1937-2020)

Description:

This is a Capustin project by Frank Duprey, a unique pianist with a background as a jazz percussionist. A virtuoso piano player, Capustin also wrote numerous pieces for piano and orchestra, including six numbered piano concertos alone. No. 5 is a single movement piece with a playing time of about 20 minutes. While a student at the Moscow Conservatory, Kapustin earned a reputation as a jazz pianist and composer, and after graduation he continued to play in jazz bands. At the same time, he participated in concerts as a pianist with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. At the request of Gennady Rozhestvensky, the principal conductor at the time, he also participated in contemporary and Western works. This experience is reflected in the orchestration of the Piano Concerto No. 5, which is completely jazz at first hearing, but its symphonic precision has reached the realm of proficiency in contemporary music. Dedicated to Nikolai Petrov, the piano part requires superb technique, and its Japan premiere in 2018 attracted much attention. The other two pieces are also less than 20 minutes long, and the jazz-like interplay between the two pianos and four hands is superb.It is also surprising that all of the music, which seems to be improvised, is written in the score. Naxos Japan