<span class="vcard">Wendelin Bitzan</span>
Wendelin Bitzan

Taneyev, Scriabin, and Medtner

My recent writings on Russian music are now obtainable online. Make sure to read or download the papers soon—once they are printed, the publishers will have me take them down 😉 The Taneyev & Scriabin symphony essay is available in three different languages, while the papers on the Medtner sonatas, Opp. 11, 22, and 27, come in German or English only. My apologies for the language barrier—hope you appreciate my stuff anyway!

Latest Piano Recordings

The editing of my latest recording is now finished. It features some recent piano compositions, including Children’s Kaleidoscope, a short cycle in four pieces that was written for my daughter Cosima’s 4th birthday. I’d be most delighted if you could spare a couple of minutes to listen to some excerpts, such as this one: Being First, a little invention for piano, with its two voices chasing after each other. — Also, the typesetting of my complaisant woodwind quintet named Symphonic Scene is finally completed. The score is available here.

New Medtner Newsletter

I have started a Medtner newsletter. The idea is to send information and updates on events, publications, recent recordings, and other developments related to Nikolai Medtner—to be issued from time to time, presumably 2–3 numbers per year. Let me know if you want to subscribe. I will also be grateful if you provided me with information to include in the following issues!

St Petersburg Medtner Competition

The First International Nikolai Karlovich Medtner Competition will be held at the end of November 2016 in St Petersburg, organised by Nota Bene Association. The competition is open for pianists, vocalists and musicological research and review in English or Russian language. Applications are accepted until 15 October. The submission guidelines can be found here; they didn’t announce them in translation for whatever reason, but I was told that contributions in English are welcome.

Update November 2016: The competition’s musicological research and review section was cancelled due to an insufficient number of contributions. This fact was communicated only upon request.