Medtner’s 14 piano sonatas, the most significant achievement in this genre by any major composer since Beethoven, span his career. The Sonata-Ballade explores a tempestuous musical allegory – the triumph of Light over Darkness, of Faith over Doubt; while the Sonata in A minor is cast in a single, terse movement, with folkloric elements and frequent use of bell-like features that exude Russianness. By contrast, the ‘Night Wind’ Sonata is a monumental epic of exceptional complexity that stunned Rachmaninov and led composer and critic Sorabji to call it ‘the greatest piano sonata of modern times.’

Canadian pianist Paul Stewart launched his career in 1981 with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto no.1. He has since regularly appeared in concert in Canada, the US (including in Carnegie Hall, New York), Mexico, Brazil, the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, South Africa and throughout Asia, and has collaborated with artists such as Arleen Auger, Maureen Forrester, Ben Heppner, Jessye Norman and Pinchas Zukerman. Stewart is among the few pianists worldwide who has championed the music of Nikolai Medtner, and has performed Medtner’s solo works, chamber music and concertos on four continents. His series for Grand Piano, comprising Medtner’s 14 piano sonatas, has received enthusiastic critical acclaim. In addition to his performing and recording activities, Stewart is a Professor of Piano at the Université de Montréal.

‘This is pianism at its pinnacle… But through all the virtuosic wizardry that leaves one agape, there emerges an artist of poetic sensitivity who makes every measure of Medtner’s music sing.’ – Fanfare on (Vol.1, GP617)

‘Paul Stewart adds a voice of exceptional distinction, finely presented and recorded.’ – Gramophone (Vol.1, GP617)

‘Paul Stewart has a poetic sensibility that seems perfect for these works. His technique, though considerable, is not worn on his sleeve but instead directed toward the most musical of readings. … Medtner is Medtner and how ever that stacks up, this is very worthwhile piano music.’ – Gapplegate Classical-Modern Music Review (Vol.2, GP618)