Kapustin: Between the Lines

Ophelia Gordon & Kapustin: It’s about the balance of respect and personal creativity – Pizzicato

Electrifying debut album from a bold new voice in classical piano.

British pianist Ophelia Gordon makes a striking debut with this album of works by Nikolai Kapustin, the Soviet composer whose music fuses the harmonic language and rhythmic drive of jazz with the formal precision of classical composition. Though Kapustin’s music sounds improvised, every note is meticulously written – jazz in spirit, but classical in structure.

Gordon brings rare authenticity to this repertoire, having tracked down long out-of-print vinyl recordings of Kapustin’s own performances in a personal search for the composer’s true voice. The programme is carefully curated to offer a compelling listening arc, capturing Kapustin’s wit, lyricism, and fire with both intimacy and flair.

Recorded on a characterful 1961 Steinway D, the album’s sound is warm, immediate, and rich in detail – engineered with a microphone setup designed to balance the immediacy of a jazz trio with the depth and clarity of classical solo piano.

This release marks two milestones: the first full Kapustin album by a British female pianist, and the first classical album by a BRIT School alum. With a growing reputation for fearless artistry and cross-genre fluency, Gordon offers a vital new perspective on one of the most original piano voices of the 20th century.