24 Preludes, Op. 38 (1943)
6 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 61 (1959)
3 Preludes, Op. 1 (1925)
4 Preludes, Op. 5 (1927)

Hummel, Chopin, Scriabin, Rachmaninov, Shostakovich, composed their own sets of 24 Preludes based on all major and minor keys, all in an effort to emulate the great harmonic thesis laid down by Johann Sebastian Bach centuries before. It's a known fact that each and every key manifests a distinctive character, colour, atmosphere, and emotional state. So much so, that some composers would spend sleepless nights distressing over which key to use for certain pieces. Both Chopin and Scriabin excelled at exposing any given key's innermost persona, and laid down great sets based on harmonic exploration and exploitation. The 24 Preludes, Op. 38 by Dmitri Kabalevsky (1904-1987) on the other hand, seem more concerned with expressing short stories based on Russian folklore through the use of folk tunes. After all, the brunt of his creative output was music written for the Russian school and educational systems. Music that was highly valued as a solid foundation in music training for young children. The set contains musical nods to Stravinsky, Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Mussorgsky, and is dedicated to his teacher, Nikolai Myaskovsky.

As the booklet notes indicate, the 6 Preludes and Fugues, Op. 61 were written specifically for pedagogical purposes, and the teacher within Kabalevsky couldn't help but give them subtitltes like "Becoming a Young Pioneer" to stimulate the imagination of children as they struggled through the counterpoint and technical demands of each one. The 3 Preludes, Op. 1 were written while Kabalevsky was still at the Moscow Conservatory, and the influence of Scriabin on the young composer is indisputable, as the music probes the darker reaches of the expressive palette.

Recordings of these solo piano works by Dmitri Kabalevsky are in short supply, so it's great to see them all collected together on this new CPO release. With recordings ranging from Bach to Ginastera, Beethoven to amazing Liszt and everything in between including the Kabalevsky Piano Sonatas and Piano Concertos, it's highly apparent that pianist Michael Korstick is tailor-made for this music. At one time, Kabalevsky was considered one of the heavyweights of Soviet music and culture, but now his importance seems to be slipping. Support Michael Korstick's efforts to keep his name and music relevant. This CD easily belongs within any piano music collection, or any collection for that matter that benefits from a strong Russian musical heritage.