Twilight by Nikolai Medtner arranged for flute and piano
First Performance: Eugenia Moliner and Beilin Han, Spanish Embassy, Washington D.C. USA , 16th December 2021
Recording: Eugenia Moliner and Beilin Han (Bridge Records)
Exclusive until September 2023
The music of the Russian composer and pianist Nikolai Medtner (1879-1951) has much in common with that of his more famous contemporaries Rachmaninoff and Scriabin. His piece “Twilight” comes from a set of songs titled Eight Poems, op.24, and displays the yearning Romantic harmonies and beautifully pianistic writing that are the hallmarks of Medtner’s style. In my arrangement (which was commissioned by Eugenia Moliner), the song’s form is somewhat extended, and the flute’s lyrical qualities are called upon in conveying an embellished version of the voice part.