Divine Art announces first recording of the Complete Piano Sonatas of composer Anatoly Alexandrov

Divine Art Recordings Group is delighted to announce the signing of Singaporean pianist Clarisse Teo who will feature in one of the year’s most significant recordings, a four-CD set (and digital album) containing all 14 of the superb Piano Concertos by the 20^th century Soviet composer Anatoly Alexandrov (1888-1982) which will be scheduled for release before the end of 2024. Clarisse has made a special study of these works and says about the new recording:

“Having always had a passion for exploring music beyond the parameters of mainstream repertoire, my first encounter with the music of Anatoly Alexandrov (1888-1982) slightly over a decade ago was through his Piano Sonata No. 4 in C major, Op. 19 (1922, rev. 1954). I was immediately drawn to his lyrical melodies, which had echoes of Nikolai Medtner and Sergei Rachmaninov, and consequently wanted to learn more about this composer and his works.

Despite having been incredibly prolific during his lifetime composing primarily solo piano and vocal music, Alexandrov’s music remains largely undiscovered even till today except amongst the most devoted pianophiles. Like Medtner, he wrote fourteen piano sonatas, a large quantity even amongst his fellow composer-pianists like Sergei Prokofiev, Nikolai Myaskovsk and Samuil Feinberg. Being written consistently throughout his life, the sonatas reflect Alexandrov’s stylistic evolution, which in part was impacted by various socio-political events of that era.

Although there previously have been several pianists who have recorded some of Alexandrov’s solo piano works, none have recorded all fourteen sonatas so I decided to undertake this task when I embarked on my doctoral studies in 2020. Through this recording, I endeavour to present a more holistic picture of Soviet music during the 20th Century beyond the household names of Prokofiev and Dmitri Shostakovich and look forward to introducing these pieces to a wider audience.”

An avid advocate for lesser-known and contemporary music known for her ‘confidently eclectic tastes’ (The Straits Times, 2022), Singaporean pianist Clarisse Teo has appeared internationally both as a soloist and chamber musician and has been featured in the album ‘Rarities of Piano Music at “Schloss vor Husum” from the 2019 Festival’ (Danacord Records).

Under the tutelage of Timothy Ku (piano) and Marietta Ku (violin and viola), Clarisse obtained a FRSM in piano, DipABRSM (Distinction) in violin and DipABRSM in viola. After reading Law at the National University of Singapore, she studied with Sinae Lee ** at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland on a partial scholarship and attained a Master of Music in piano performance. Funded by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Trust and the Trailblazer Foundation Ltd (Singapore), Clarisse graduated from the University of St Andrews with a Doctor of Performing Arts degree, where she conducted practice-based research into the fourteen piano sonatas of the 20 Century Soviet composer Anatoly Alexandrov under the supervision of Sinae Lee and Dr. Christina Guillaumier.

** Sinae Lee also made a pioneering 4-CD set for Divine Art with the complete piano music of Karol Szymanowski (DDA 21400, 2006)

Album Details

Label: Divine Art
Catalogue number: DDX 21401
Formats: CD (4-disc box set); download and streaming
Artist: Clarisse Teo (piano)
Composer: Anatoly Alexandrov
Works: