Russian Soul

In addition to Prokofieff's Piano Sonata No.7, the third movement of which, along with the Toccata Op.11, is the most relentless piece of motor music from his pen, Elena Kuschnerova presents piano music by the now almost forgotten Alexander Lokshin (1920-1987), whom Rudolf Barshai called one of the most important Russian composers of the 20th century. Elena Kuschnerova was the last pianistic discovery of Harold Schonberg (1915-2003), music critic for the New York Times and prolific author on great performers. After listening to her debut album, he dubbed her a "Pianist who grabs the imagination", and he lauded her Scriabin album as "the best recorded performances I am familiar with" (American Record Guide, 2000 and 2001).