7 minutes ago7 min I've been quite obsessed with Aarre Merikanto's 6 Piano Pieces lately!I first came across this set a few years ago and quite liked it, but it somehow stayed at the back of my mind until recently. Back then, I was more familiar with his father, Oskar Merikanto, whose works naturally appealed to me given my longstanding affinity for Romantic music. For most of my musical journey, I've gravitated towards Late Romantic composers like Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Sibelius and Rachmaninoff, while also developing a fondness for Chopin and Liszt along the way.Over the past few years, I've gradually ventured further into Impressionist and Modern music, making Aarre Merikanto's works increasingly appealing to me. What's particularly fascinating is his stylistic evolution: from Late Romanticism to radical Modernist and Expressionist experimentation in the 1920s, before eventually returning to a more traditional Finnish national-Romantic style. Composed in 1919, his 6 Piano Pieces, Op. 20, sit at an interesting point in this journey, preceding his more radical Modernist period while already displaying distinctly Impressionistic characteristics. I find his transformation particularly fascinating and would love to explore it in greater detail in another post!I'm finding his musical language and the diversity of his works increasingly fascinating. Would love to hear what you all think of this set! I'm currently learning Nos. 1 and 2, and looking forward to exploring the rest as well.
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