Rathaus & Shostakovich: Piano Sonatas

Album review

Born in Tarnopol in former Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine) in 1906, Karol Rathaus’ career was brought to a halt by the First World War, just like those of many other young artists from that dark period. In the 1920s, Rathaus began what would be a sensational career as a composer. He was considered at the time as one of the greatest hopefuls of new music in Berlin. But all of that changed with the onset of Nazism, which forced Rathaus to emigrate to the United States where he became a professor and a composer of film music whilst also working on other forms of music.

Franco-Russian pianist Vladimir Stoupel now brings Rathaus out from the shadows, pairing him with some contemporary works by Shostakovich (Sonatas No. 1 & No. 2). He draws some interesting parallels between the four sonatas by these two composers whose lives were different but who both suffered persecution specific to their era.

Rathaus composed his Sonata in C minor at the age of sixteen and it was still strongly influenced by a post-Romantic style, but this first attempt was highly acclaimed. Written seven years later, the Sonata, op. 20, of which this is the first recording in the world, is instead more in line with the work of Scriabin. Vladimir Stoupel interprets it as a snapshot of the 1920s and depicts the moods and turbulence of a volatile Berlin. Recorded at the WDR Radio in Cologne in 2013 and 2014, this is the very first time these recordings have been released. © François Hudry/Qobuz