Medtner - Sonata Op. 25 No. 2 "Night Wind" (Eckardstein)

This performance was for me a revelation. As much as i love other performances of this work, especially Milne and Ponochevny, i think that this one is superior in many ways. First of all : the incredible atmoshpere. Eckardstein can both play extremely violently (not "bangy" though) or so very softly and suddenly go for a total contrast in nuance, while doing the transition very well. Medtner intended this piece to be "always played in an epic spirit". Well here I never listened to such an epic performance. He has a way of playing this sonata, that at the first measures already you know how great its going to be. He mixes the dark, eerie and menacing and solemn side of Tozer with the vigor and energy of Kholodenko and the subtlety of Milne, while keeping the flow of the piece the whole time, while never showing a single mark of tiring. And this result in an impetuous, unbashed, unstoppable wind, a true Night Wind. 00:00 - I. Introduzione: Andante con moto 02:37 - II. Allegro 15:33 - III. Tempo dell'introduzione 18:20 - IV. Allegro molto sfrenatamente, presto 26:32 - V. Quasi cadenza Pianist : Severin Von Eckardstein