A limited number of Volumes 1–3 of the Leo Ornstein's piano music, released by Toccata Classics, are now available in the OM webstore. The Russian-born American composer Leo Ornstein (1893-2002) lived long enough—an astonishing 109 years—to see his music both fall into and re-emerge from obscurity. His earliest surviving work dates from around 1905; his last was composed in 1990. Not surprisingly, his music embraces a range of styles, ranging on this first CD—in the first extended series devoted to his piano works—from the atmospheric impressionism of the Four Impromptus via the fiery virtuosity of the Fourth Piano Sonata to the Rachmaninov-like Romanticism of the Cossack Impressions and In the Country.

Arsentiy Kharitonov, piano

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Tracklist

Four Impromptus, S300A (1950s–76)
1. No. 1 Moderato
2. No. 2 Epitaph: Moderato espressivo
3. No. 3 An Interlude: Andante
4. No. 4 A Bit of Nostalgia: Moderato

Piano Sonata No. 4, S360 (c. 1918)
5. I Moderato con moto
6. II Semplice
7. III Lento
8. IV Vivo

In the Country, S63 (1924)
9. No. 1 The Gypsy Lament: Moderato con moto
10. No. 2 The Old Dungeon: Andante misterioso
11. No. 3 A Fairy Dance: Tempo rubato
12. No. 4 The Cathedral Bells and the Choir: Moderato non troppo
13. No. 5 The Merry-Go-Round: Vivo e ritmico

Cossack Impressions, S55 (c. 1914)
14. No. 1 Evening Song: Maestoso
15. No. 2 Maidens at the Fountain: Andante comodo rubato
16. No. 3 Mazurka: Con vivo
17. No. 4 Moonlight in the Mountains: Andante amabile
18. No. 5 Grief: Moderato con tristezza
19. No. 6 The Waltz: Tempo di Valse
20. No. 7 The Nocturne: Lento
21. No. 8 At Dawn: Impazientemente
22. No. 9 The Dance: Allegretto con spirito
23. No. 10 The Love Song: Andante con sentimento
24. No. 11 The March: Tempo alla marcia
25. No. 12 Méditation: Languido
26. No. 13 At the Festival: Allegro molto