CD: The Morkov Project: Musical Life in 19th-Century St. Petersburg: Works for Russian Seven-String Guitar and Fortepiano

The Morkov Project: Musical Life in 19th-Century St. Petersburg: Works for Russian Seven-String Guitar and Fortepiano

This recording is based on a little-known manuscript for guitar and fortepiano held at the Glinka Museum of Music in Moscow. On one level, the album aims to support the revival of the Russian seven string guitar, an instrument with its own distinctive tuning (D–G–B–d–g–b–dʹ), rich history, and unique repertoire. On another, it uses this important archival source as a window into the broader musical culture of mid-19th-century St. Petersburg. To present a fuller picture, the manuscript selections are supplemented with solo works for both fortepiano and guitar. 

Featuring Oleg Timofeyev on seven-string guitar and Elizaveta Miller on the NMM's Grand piano by Anton Martin Thÿm, Vienna, ca. 1815. Rawlins Fund, 1985. NMM 03587.

Recorded at the National Music Museum October 17-19, 2024.