Alexander Gretchaninov - Russian Folk Dances, (Vol.1)

The russian folk dances are a set of 12 pieces in 2 volumes of which I present the first 6 here. They are nice dance pieces, but quite unpianistic and uncomfortable to play at places, at definitely not very easy. If I get good feedback I will try to record also the second set (I had to stop otherwise I would spend the whole day playing all pieces today). Also, I tried my best to interpret them “correctly“, but I’m not russian, so the choices might not be the best sometimes. To more interesting aspects: Gretchaninov (1864-1956) was a Russian Romantic composer. The following is basically the whole wikipedia article, because this time it is quite interesting to read. Gretchaninov started his musical studies rather late, because his father, a businessman, had expected the boy to take over the family firm. Gretchaninov himself related that he did not see a piano until he was 14 and began his studies at the Moscow Conservatory in 1881 against his father’s wishes and without his knowl