Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
1. Polonaise in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 26, No. 1
2. Waltz in A-Flat Major, Op.69, No. 1
3. Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 17, No. 4
4. Mazurka in B-Flat Major, Op. 7, No. 1
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)
5. Song Without Words, E-Flat Major, Op. 53, No. 2
6. Song Without Words, G Minor, Op. 53, No. 3
Enrique Granados (1867-1916)
7. Danza - Andaluza, Op 37 No 5
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)
Five Piano Transcriptions
8. The Brooklet by Franz Schubert (1797-1828) Wohin? from "Die Schöne Müllerin"
9. Hopak by Modest Mussorgsky (1839 - 1881)
from opera "Fair at Sorochinsk"
10. Daisies, Op. 38, No.3 by Sergei Rachmaninoff
11. Lilacs, Op. 21, No. 5 by Sergei Rachmaninoff
12. Minuet by Georges Bizet (1838-1875)
from "L'Arlesienne Suite"
Vladimir Ryabov (1950)
From original piano works on themes of
traditional Russian Folk Songs (1998-1999)
13. "Ey, oukhnem!" - The Volga Boatmen Song, Op 73, No. 13
14. Steppes All Around, Op. 74, No 1
15. Along the Peterskaya Avenue, Op. 74, No. 10 About the Album[back to the top] by Ghenady Meirson
Songs & Dances is my debut CD and the first piano solo work in many years. The idea came from Songs and Dances of Death by Mussorgsky, which were on my annual Evening of Russian Romances concert with the Academy of Vocal Arts (AVA) resident artists in 2003. Since I perform on a limited basis, just to help my AVA and Curtis students, I thought it would be a fun project to record songs and dances by different composers, less the grim subject.
This CD contains short pieces, easy to listen to, and is for people of all levels of music appreciation. Chopin, Mendelssohn and Granados selections are wonderful and need little introduction. Rachmaninoff's piano arrangements of his own songs Daises and Lilacs are absolute gems. Thanks to Rachmaninoff's own recordings and by other pianists, all five transcriptions are popular among piano music connoisseurs. I am pleased to include works by Vladimir Ryabov, a Moscow-based composer, whose music I discovered 1994. In 1995, on my Russian Romances program at AVA we did a world premiere of On the Brink of Light and Darkness, a song cycle for tenor and piano. Ryabov attended the premiere and we've become good friends since. The themes of selected Russian Folks Songs will be familiar to Western listeners. Stravinsky used Along Peterskaya in "Petrushka" while a humorous rendition of the Volga Boatmen Song made its way into 1966 classic film comedy "The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!" About the Artist[back to the top]
Educator, author, composer, pianist and music industry entrepreneur, Ghenady Meirson began studying piano at an early age in his native Odessa, Ukraine. He graduated from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome and The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. At Curtis, he majored in piano studying with Seymour Lipkin and Mieczyslaw Horszowski, and in accompanying studying with Dr. Vladimir Sokoloff.
In 1982, Meirson wrote a singer's manual entitled "Do Sing in Russian" and began to specialize in Russian vocal repertoire. Since then, he coached countless artists for opera, oratorio, recitals and recordings, and helped such organizations as the Philadelphia Orchestra, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Philadelphia Singers and Mendelssohn Club Chorus. Meirson coaches Russian vocal repertoire at both The Academy of Vocal Arts and The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.
In 1996, the early days of Internet, Meirson founded PrivateLessons.com, a membership-based network that connects the public with independent music teachers across the U.S. and Canada. Now an established leader in its niche, PrivateLessons.com helps thousands of musicians and over 300,000 visitors per month that seek private music teachers.
