Julius Isserlis: Piano Music

The Russian pianist and composer Julius Isserlis (1888-1968) was born in what's now Chisinau, capital of the Republic of Moldova, and studied with Safonov and Taneyev in Moscow, and Widor in Paris. Pianist Sam Haywood, who won the Royal Philharmonic Society's Julius Isserlis Scholarship in 1989, got to know the composer's descendants and through them discovered and edited some of the music. Short character pieces dominate, and the longest, at 8'40", is a Ballade for cello and piano, in which Haywood is joined by Julius's grandson Steven. The manner is mild, with the ghosts of Rachmaninov and Chopin roving freely, and the performances are first-rate. It's the kind of music that would whet your appetite in small amounts but seems to much in larger helpings. url.ie/4qdb